Life Anew
by Jenna Cassie Herdz
Summary: The pack is back. But this time, not only do they have a new friend, but a new mission. It's too soon for paradise, but can the pack keep the world from getting any worse than it is? Will our five heroes completely accept their new friend into their pack?
1. Kiba Reborn

**A/N:** welcome to my Wolf's Rain fanfic! this takes place after the anime, and i have a friend who's like crazy about this anime, and i only hope i can meet everyone's expectations with a Wolf's Rain fanfic. i know there have been a lot that are what Kiba, Tsume, Hige and Toboe are like reborn, and i can only hope that this one is enjoyable for all of you! if there are some inaccuracies, i'm so sorry. enjoy!

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_**Chapter 1: Kiba Reborn**_

He ran. He ran in the rain until he was sure his legs would fall off. He was being drawn to something. Something familiar. Something he knew well and needed to find. A voice was calling his name. A familiar voice. He _knew_ who that voice belonged to. He remembered. Even if the others didn't, _he_ did.

_Kiba_, the voice called, timidly. _Kiba..._

_I'm coming_, he answered. _I'm trying to find you...Cheza_

_This one is waiting for you_, the voice replied. _This one will wait patiently for you to find this one._

He tripped slightly but quickly caught himself from falling face first into the wet cement. He had to get to her, no matter what. He panted, out of breath but he kept running. The rain soaked him through, but he didn't care. Faces were blurred by his haste, but he knew they were looking at him in confusion, and he didn't care. He came to a dead stop next to an alley and panted, trying to catch his breath.

What had made him stop there, he wasn't sure. But as he caught his breath he looked down the alley, his intense blue eyes squinting against his rain soaked, black hair that hung in his eyes. He shook some rain drops from his hair then turned to the alley fully, seeing something stand out in its darkness. He stepped into the alleyway, staring at the thing that had caught his attention. He shook his hair again to be rid of the water in it completely as he stopped right in front of the thing.

Kneeling down, he examined the pure white flower growing from the dingy black ground. He knew exactly what it was. A Lunar flower. He hadn't seen one in a long time. As with the other paradise before it, the paradise _he_ had brought about had been destroyed and turned into the world he now found himself in. The Earth was now covered with buildings and humans had once again forgotten their origin. Humans had forgotten that wolves were their ancestors and _he_ was forced to hide what he was if he was to survive.

He stared in awe at the flower and reached out to gently stroke one of its petals. Just as his finger touched the petal, a shadow appeared next to him. He pulled his hand away as if burned and looked to the source of the shadow. He shot to his feet with wide eyes filled with disbelief mixed with excitement and relief. She was covered in a pink cloak, her rose-red eyes staring blankly ahead, but she was smiling.

"Cheza…"

"Kiba…"

He hurried toward her, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close. She smiled a bit wider and embraced him in return as he buried his face into her shoulder.

"This one is glad you're safe," she whispered, hugging him tightly.

"I'm so glad I found you," he murmured. "I was afraid I'd never see you again. It's been so long."

She didn't respond as they still held each other and savored the feeling of the other's embrace. It _had_ been a long time since they'd last seen each other, and he'd been afraid she would never appear to him, or call to him the way she had.

"Cheza?" he whispered, afraid that speaking in a louder tone would break the sweetness of the reunion.

"Yes, Kiba?" she wondered.

"Sing your song to me, please?" he requested and her smile grew. She sang her lullaby, rocking back and forth slightly, still hugging him and he smiled at the happiness in the tune. After another moment or so he reluctantly pulled away to look up and down the alley then back at her.

"Come on," he urged. "Let's get out of the cold."

She nodded and he took her hand to lead her out of the dark alley into the rainy streets of the city. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders to protect her from the rain, even though she wore a coat, and they headed down the street. They stopped at a light and waited for it to change when he heard something rumble toward them. Looking across the intersection he saw a man on a motorcycle dressed in black to match the bike with a black helmet as well.

As the light turned green for him and the bike sped down the street, Kiba stared at him and saw his eyes through the windshield of his helmet. He had known the moment he'd laid eyes on the man in black that he was a wolf, like him, and seeing his, eyes he almost shot off after him, but he just stared on with wide eyes as the motorcycle zoomed down the street. He knew exactly who it was. There was no mistaking him.

"Tsume…" he breathed and Cheza looked up at him.

"What's wrong, Kiba?" she wondered meekly, and he looked back at her just as the light turned green to allow them to cross the street.

"I just saw Tsume," he replied, walking them across the street. "I don't think he recognized me, though."

"Perhaps he hasn't remembered his past yet?" she guessed. "Everyone's memories come back at different times, sometimes not at all."

He looked at her with wide eyes as they stepped onto the curb and repeated, "Not at all? You mean, they'll _never_ remember?"

"This one does not know," she replied. "Everyone is different."

As they continued walking, he felt his heart sink a little. His friends may not _ever_ remember him, or Cheza, or each other. Was _he_ the only one who would remember? Would he meet Hige, or Toboe, or Tsume again and they wouldn't remember who he was, even later? He hugged Cheza closer to him as they walked, feeling glad that he had her, even if he didn't have his friends yet.

They walked a little further down the street and Kiba smelled the scent of hot dogs cooking somewhere nearby. He looked in the direction the smell was coming from and noticed immediately a boy about his age in a blue rain coat, his arms full of bags of food and stuffing a hot dog in his mouth across the street. He walked down that sidewalk and looked up and down the street and Kiba almost wanted to call to him when he saw his face, but didn't. He knew who _that_ was as well, and knew he was a wolf, too.

_Hige..._ he only told himself, but kept walking. He wasn't sure if _he_ would remember him either. He and Cheza came to a small restaurant and stepped in, out of the cold and rain. Kiba wanted so much to just shake off all the water that drenched him, but fought the impulse out of respect for all the humans eating their meals inside. He led Cheza to an empty table and they sat down, Kiba facing the huge glass window.

"The rain shouldn't last too much longer," he assured her, touching a hand to one of hers as it sat on the table. "We'll head home when it stops."

"Home?" Cheza echoed and Kiba nodded.

"Where I live," he rephrased. He stared out the window when he saw a young boy with an umbrella walk past it. He glanced into the window just for a moment, long enough for Kiba to see his face. He had a small, white kitten in his arms, wrapped in a blanket to keep it warm and dry. Another wolf, and another familiar face.

"Toboe just passed," he informed Cheza and she smiled.

"So all your friends are here?" she guessed and Kiba nodded with a slight smile. "This one is glad for you."

"Actually, I haven't seen Blue," he corrected. "I'm sure we'll see her soon, though. If the others are here, she must be too."

"What can I get you folks?" the waitress asked them and Kiba jumped with a start as he looked up at her. His prediction had been correct. The waitress was a tall, stunning woman with short, black hair and piercing blue eyes against dark skin…and she just happened to be, at _least_, part wolf.

"Nothing," Kiba replied, knowing she obviously didn't remember him. "We're just here to get out of the rain."

"Maybe some hot chocolate or coffee?" she urged then leaned close enough to whisper, "If you don't order anything my manager'll make me kick you out. I'd rather not do that to poor folks trying to keep dry."

Kiba smiled at her compassion, remembering how she'd cared for them before and nodded, saying, "Alright then. Two hot chocolates."

The waitress nodded and wrote the order down on her tablet with a smile and said, "I'll be your waitress for today. The name's Blue."

"Thank you, Blue," Kiba nodded and she walked away with a smile. He couldn't help but smile as well. She seemed a lot more happy and cheerful than the last time they'd met. He looked back at Cheza and touched her hand again, making her turn her blank gaze toward him.

"Is something wrong?" she wondered and Kiba shook his head with a slight smile.

"No," he replied. "I'm just happy I found you. I…I missed you."

"This one missed you as well," she smiled back.

"Hey! Let go of me!"

Kiba sat up straight as he looked to the door, preparing to take Cheza and get out if anything serious happened. A young girl with dark brown hair that fell just above her shoulders and fiery jade eyes was struggling against a big man who was holding her under her arms and shoving her toward the door as she struggled.

"You can't do this!" she snarled, still struggling. "I'm a customer! I paid for a meal!"

"You're loitering!" the man snapped back, still shoving her toward the door. "You said you ordered food hours ago! Now get outta here! We're open for customers _only_!"

"But I _am_!" she shouted as everyone watched her being shoved out the door.

"Bull shit!" the man snarled, and shoved the door open then almost threw her out and into the street. "Get outta here! I don't take in strays!"

"You stupid, son of a-!"

The man shut the door before she finished insulting him, but she still ranted and raved outside, the sound of the rain along with the sound proof glass window and door drowned out her voice, however. Kiba watched in slight amusement as she stomped her foot and shoved her hands the pockets of her brown pants then headed down the street. She glanced into the window but took a double take and stared with wide eyes right at Kiba.

She pointed at herself, then at him as she said something. He frowned at her in confusion but soon realized what it was she was trying to communicate. She was saying, "You're a wolf, like me!"

Kiba only nodded and the girl suddenly became giddy. He watched in half confusion and half amusement as the girl spun around in circle in the rain, her clothes and hair being drenched. She suddenly stopped and started talking into the window again and he watched her lips closely to read them.

"My name is Ryooshi!" she was saying. "Who's that pretty girl that smells so good with you?"

"I told you to get outta here!" the man who had thrown her out shouted through the window and she jumped at the sight of him. He marched toward the door and Ryooshi waved good-bye to Kiba before darting down the street, opposite the door where the man walked out to make her leave.

"Kiba?" Cheza called again, and he turned his attention to her again. "Who was yelling just now?"

"Another wolf," Kiba replied.

"One of your friends?" Cheza wondered and Kiba shook his head.

"No," he replied. "I've never met this girl before. She said her name was Ryooshi."

"Here ya go!" Blue smiled, placing a steaming cup of hot chocolate each in front of Kiba and Cheza. "That oughtta warm you guys up!"

"Thank you, Blue," Kiba replied and she nodded then looked at Cheza and smiled.

"Your perfume smells so nice. Can I ask what it is?" she wondered.

"This one does not wear perfume," Cheza replied.

"So that's your natural scent?" Blue giggled. "Well, you smell great."

"Thank you," Cheza replied and before Blue could say anything else, a customer called for a waitress and she hurried to help them.

Kiba gave a small sigh of sorrow and Cheza turned to him again as he said, "This is killing me. The fact that she doesn't know me. Is this what it'll be like when I meet the rest of my friends?"

Cheza's face fell in shared sorrow and she reached out to touch his hand, making him look up at her as she said, "This one is with you, Kiba. This one will help your friends remember."

Kiba smiled and gripped her hand lightly as he murmured, "Thank you, Cheza."

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**A/N:** I know it was a little short, and i know it took forever to get to calling them by their names, and i know Blue might be a little OOC, or maybe a lot, but thats how i saw her if she wasn't all depressed about Pops and stuff. lol. well? reviews?


	2. Tsume Reborn

**A/N:** next chappie! this one's longer. prolly cuz Tsume's my favorite. and before i get reviews asking me this, yes, there will be a bit of overlapping with the first like, six chappies, just cuz everbody's meeting everybody else and i'm setting up who knows what and where everyone's comin from. enjoy!

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_**Chapter 2: Tsume Reborn**_

He dismounted his motorcycle and propped it, carefully against the brick wall of his hide-out, under a raggedy but suitable awning to keep it dry. Sighing, he pulled his helmet off of his head and hooked it on the handle of his bike. He pulled the collar of his leather jacket a little tighter around his neck to keep out the cold, making it brush against his thin ponytail of silver hair. Scanning jade eyes around the area and listening intently, he slowly walked around the shack to the door. He knocked three, slow times and waited for the door to open. Once it opened a crack, then opened fully, he stepped in without saying a word to the man who let him in.

"Tsume, where the hell you been?!" one of the other men in the shack wondered, irritably. "We've been waiting here for hours!"

"Don't exaggerate," Tsume snapped, just as irritable and the man shrank back slightly.

"Whoa, Tsume," another voiced. "Weather doin' a number on your mood?"

"Shut up," he snapped again, trudging toward the fire his gang had built to warm himself up then demanded, "Is everyone here?"

"Nah, we're still waitin' on Tim," one of the men piped up.

"We don't need him here, do we?" another whined, throwing a twig onto the fire. "Not like he ever _does_ anything to help us."

"He will _this_ job," Tsume replied, and all eyes turned to him in surprise. "We'll wait."

Just then there came a rapid knock at the door and everyone stiffened, but the man at the door only rolled his eyes as he grumbled, "Boy hasn't figured out the knock yet."

He opened the door and a boy about seventeen years old stumbled into the shack and shook himself like a dog, sending water drops from his died turquoise hair all over the place.

"Hey! Watch it!" one of the men snarled, as the boy lifted amber eyes around the room, but Tsume said nothing as he stared at the fire.

"Sorry I'm late, Boss," the boy said quickly, walking toward the fire as well to sit across from Tsume, who he was talking to. "My aunt had to---"

"Save it," Tsume snapped and the boy shut his mouth instantly.

"Well, Timmy, looks like you've got a big part in our next heist," one of the men blurted and the boy, Timothy, turned wide eyes filled with excitement at Tsume who didn't look at him.

"Really?!" he grinned. "Wow! I thought maybe you didn't like me 'cause I never do anything."

"I _don't_ like you," Tsume finally replied, but still didn't look away from the fire as everyone looked at him quizzically. "I don't like you, but I don't _hate_ you, either. Any of you. It's one of those things."

"But, aren't we friends?" Timothy wondered, meekly and the gang shook their heads at the boy. He was pretty new to the gang, and didn't know how it worked. They all knew, though. They had been around Tsume long enough to know that they were disposable to him, and they didn't care. They hated his guts anyway. But, they had to admit, he was good when it came to stealing valuable things and selling them for more than they were worth.

"I don't _have_ friends," Tsume replied and Timothy pouted, but said nothing more.

_At least, not anymore_, Tsume thought to himself, but dismissed the thoughts.

"Let's plan it out," he ordered, standing and heading to a dingy map of the city they lived in that was pinned to the far wall. He pointed to a spot and said, "_This_ is our target. Kid, you'll go around the back way and pick the lock, get in and let us in the front."

"Are you outta your mind?!" one of the men snapped, staring wide-eyed in disbelief at the spot Tsume was pointing to. "That's a laboratory! Do you know how much security is gonna be _swarming_ through that place?!"

"That's why the _kid_ is goin' in!" Tsume snarled back, making the man shrink back. "He's new. He doesn't have, 'I'm a thief' written all over him. He can get in and get _us_ in without any problem." He looked to Timothy who was wide-eyed in awe and said, "If anybody stops you, you just say you're the mail boy. They won't question that."

"How do _you_ know?" one of the other men piped up sarcastically, and Tsume shot a glare at him but didn't answer his question. He only started walking toward the table on the opposite end of the room, digging into his jacket. He pulled out a roll of paper that was slightly crumpled from being in his jacket and spread it out over the table as the men crowded around him and he continued.

"Once we're inside, we'll take out the guards at the entrance then head here," he explained, pointing to a spot on the blueprints of the laboratory he was planning to raid. "There should be plenty of stuff there that'll sell for big bucks."

"The supply room?" Timothy breathed, but no one answered him.

"And how do you suppose we get out, oh great genius of heist?" one of the men wondered, sarcastically.

Tsume had had enough. He turned and socked the guy in the face, sending him to the floor as the men howled in amusement to hide their fear of getting pummeled themselves. Tsume turned back to the blueprints, ignoring the man he'd just punched as he got up and examined the prints.

"The supply room is on the fifth floor," Tsume thought aloud. "If one of us cuts the power and we get to the elevator, we can climb down the shaft and that'll get us right to the entrance."

"Should we draw straws to see who takes out the power?" one of the men wondered, seriously.

"I'll do it."

All eyes shot to Timothy as he looked up at Tsume.

"Kid, this ain't play time," another man said. "This is serious."

"I'll do it," Timothy insisted. "I'm the only one who _can_." He looked to the blue prints and explained, "Look. The circuits for the power grid are all the way at the back entrance. If you all head to the elevator, I'll head to the back, and go out the way I went in once I flip the switch. The doors don't lock down when the power goes out."

"Alright," Tsume nodded, without a second's hesitation and his gang stared at him in wide-eyed disbelief.

"You're gonna let him do it?!" one of the men finally shouted. "What makes you think he can pull it off?!"

"I'll start heading back after I let you guys in," Timothy continued, trying to convince _everyone_ that he could do his part. "I'll cut the power and head toward the front entrance to wait for you guys."

"Don't make me laugh, kid," one of them chuckled. "With those short legs, you'll be lucky if you get _half way_ to the back after lettin' us in!"

"Shut up," Tsume snapped, causing everyone to stare wide eyes at him again. "The kid says he can do it, he can do it. I've already said it's fine."

"But, Tsume---!"

"I said be quiet!" Tsume growled in the man's face, making him shrink back and Tsume turned to walk toward the door. "We're hitting the lab tonight. Get everything ready."

He didn't wait for a response before he was out the door and walking toward his bike. He pulled his helmet from the handle of his bike and pulled it onto his head, then walked his bike toward the street.

"Stupid humans," he grumbled. "Can't just do what they're told. Have to make everything difficult."

Once at the edge of the street he mounted his bike and started it, the rain making soft, puttering noises on his helmet. It was all that filled his ears. That and his breathing, then the roar of his motorcycle engine. He popped a wheelie then sped down the street at top speed, the rush being too great to resist. He weaved in and out of cars, not even afraid of being hit by one and smirked to himself. Even if it was raining, it was a nice day for a ride.

He came to a stop at a light and revved his engine a bit. He loved the sound of that engine. As he sat at the light, he suddenly felt himself being watched. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he glanced around through the windshield of his helmet, trying to find the source. He looked across the intersection and saw a kid, a little younger then himself staring at him with intense blue eyes through black strands of hair in his face. He was waiting to cross the street with a girl under his arm.

_What the hell are you looking at, twerp?_ he wondered, silently. Suddenly, as he looked into the kid's eyes again, he felt something. He felt he should've known who he was, but he was sure he'd never met the kid. He probably shoved by him trying during one of his getaways. Then again, he'd remember seeing eyes as intense as his, and he'd remember seeing another wolf in the city.

The light turned green for him and he revved his engine once more to speed down the street. He didn't look at the boy with intense eyes as he passed him, but when he passed, he felt a sharp pain of guilt that he hadn't stopped for him. Guilt? Why the hell would he feel guilty about not stopping to talk to a kid he didn't even know?! He wouldn't, unless he'd met him before.

_If I __did__ meet him, I don't remember_, he thought, stating the obvious. He didn't want to give himself a headache but it wasn't leaving him alone. He found a corner and turned to head around the block again to see if the kid was still there. He headed down the opposite direction the kid had seemed to be heading and searched for him on his side of the street.

He couldn't see him, and as he was distracted looking the other way he nearly ran into a kid who was stepping off the curb just as he was passing. He swerved and barely missed him as the kid stepped back onto the curb. Tsume made a U-turn but only sat on his bike and faced the kid with an angry gaze as the boy in the blue rain coat with his arms full of bags glared back at him.

"Watch where you're goin' will ya?!" he shouted and looked both ways before heading across the street. Tsume's anger suddenly melted away when that same nagging feeling came back at seeing him, another wolf. What the hell was going on?! That was _twice_ he'd met somebody that he felt he should've known, but couldn't come up with name's to go with the faces.

He growled at himself and turned his bike to head across the street himself. He rested the bike against the last building on the street and leaned back, not taking off his helmet. He tried not to think about the two he'd just seen, but it only seemed to make it worse. He growled at himself again and yanked his helmet off his head to place it on the handle of his bike. He turned to walk around the building but ended up bumping into a young boy coming around in the opposite direction.

"Whoa! I'm sorry, Mister!" the boy replied immediately, hugging the kitten in his arm closer to him. The boy with amber eyes and reddish hair peeking out from under his hood looked up at Tsume with wide eyes.

"What's wrong with you, huh, runt?" Tsume snapped, seeing the kid was yet _another_ wolf and getting a little irritated that he was meeting so many all of a sudden.

"N-Nothing, Mister," the boy sputtered. "S-Sorry I bumped into you. I'll just get going now."

He walked around Tsume and his bike, but the same nagging feeling revealed itself in Tsume and he spun around to catch the kid before he left.

"Hey!" he called, and the boy turned around with wide eyes. "Have we met before?"

The boy said nothing for a moment as his eyes shrunk down a bit, glowing with only slight disappointment. He finally replied, "No, Mister. I'd remember a guy with a bike. See ya."

He turned and walked away, his head bowed and Tsume frowned in utter confusion. He was _really_ annoyed with this feeling. It was on the tip of his tongue, that kid's name. How could he know the kid's name without knowing _him_?!

"Toboe," he murmured, still watching the boy walk away. "His name is…Toboe."

He was sure that was his name, but how did he know that? He shook his head and headed around the back end of the building toward the alley. He needed a walk. He needed to concentrate on the job tonight if he was going to pull it off without a hitch. But no matter what he did, his mind always led him back to those familiar faces and that one name that he was _sure_ he knew before, but they weren't coming to him now. He stopped next to a dumpster and leaned back against the wall with a sigh of exhaustion.

The door on the other side of the dumpster opening made him jump with a start and turn to see a girl with huge trash bags in her hands emerging from it. She blew a strand of Black hair from her blue eyes as she threw the bags into the dumpster, and Tsume only stared with wide eyes filled with disbelief. He couldn't believe it. _Another_ wolf, and _another_ nagging feeling.

The girl looked to him in a curious gaze as he only continued to stare at her, mouth slightly agape. She smirked and placed her hands on her hips as she said, "Don't stare _too_ long. Your eyes'll fall out of your head."

"We've met," he blurted this time and she frowned at him in confusion.

"We have?" she wondered. "I don't remember. I think I'd remember seeing another wolf around like you."

"We've met, I know it," he insisted, fed up with keeping his mouth shut about it.

"What, like in a past life or something?" the girl smirked. "'Cause I've never met _you_."

Tsume suddenly pushed off the wall, still staring at her, but his mind was reeling as she frowned at him and he ignored it. A past life! That _had_ to be why he was feeling all this nostalgia or whatever just by seeing these four! Not that he believed in that sort of thing, but he had to admit, it made sense.

They jumped with a start when they heard a crash and the girl spun around in shock as Tsume looked around her to see a pile of trash cans had fell into a pile, and something was moving in the pile of tin as well.

"Dangit!" a girl's voice snarled then complained, "This is turning out to be a fun day."

The pile moved again and Tsume and the woman with him saw a young girl shove herself out of the trash in the alleyway and dust herself off. Tsume couldn't believe it. _Another_ wolf! Though, he was relieved when he saw her face that he didn't have that feeling of familiarity. That would have driven him over the edge. The girl looked up with wide jade eyes through a few strands of dark brown hair and grinned at them.

"Wow! More wolves!" she cheered and ran toward the two as they only stood there, confused. "I'm Ryooshi! Nice to meet you!" She gripped the woman's hand and shook it fiercely. "I know your name. You're the nice waitress in that place I was just thrown out of. Blue, right?"

"Y-Yeah," the woman replied and Ryooshi nodded then looked to Tsume who cocked an eyebrow at her in wonder. She stared at him with wide eyes, loosening the grip on Blue's hand to walk toward him. He stayed where he was but watched her carefully as she slowly walked toward him.

"You're Tsume, right?" she guessed and he looked at her in mild surprise.

"How'd ya know that?" he humored, not really interested in the answer.

"I've heard about you from the animals _and_ humans around here," she explained, stopping right in front of him. "You're pretty famous."

"That so?" he muttered, staring at her but noticing Blue sneak away through the door she'd just come out of.

"Oh, yeah," Ryooshi nodded. "You run with a pack of humans, I heard. Don't you get lonely being with them all the time and not with your own kind?"

"I don't get lonely," he replied and with that he turned and tried to head toward his bike. He'd had enough of this. All he wanted to do now was get home and sleep till sundown.

"How do you keep from getting lonely?" Ryooshi wondered, hurrying after him and coming up next to him, but he only stared ahead. "I'd really like to know your secret. I'm lonely _all_ the time."

"Don't make friends then," Tsume advised, not looking at her. "And don't become any human's pet."

"I'm not doing either of those," Ryooshi replied, in a slightly sorrowful tone, and I'm _still_ lonely."

"Well, then I don't know what to tell ya, kid," Tsume replied, finally coming to his bike and pulling the helmet off the handle to put it on.

"Wow! Cool bike!" she grinned, moving to sit on it. Tsume gripped her arm and shoved her away, making her stumble and almost slip on the puddles on the sidewalk. She whirled around and scowled at him.

"I didn't say you could get on it," he said, mounting the bike. "Get lost, brat."

"I'm not a brat!" she yelled over the rev of his engine as he started the bike. "You had better apologize to me!"

Tsume looked at her through the windshield of his helmet and lifted a hand to wave at her before he sped off into the street and made a U-turn to head home. He saw her stomping and shouting at him as he left her in the rain. He suddenly felt guilty as he sped down the street, but it wasn't the same type of guilt he'd felt when he saw the boy with blue eyes. This guilt was because he was leaving her in the rain, and he noticed her in his rearview mirror starting to shiver in the cold.

He didn't stop. He didn't go back. Even if he did feel bad, what could he do for her? Nothing. He was a thief. No. A wolf _pretending_ to be a human thief. That thought made him grip the handles of his bike a little tighter. What was he turning into? One of those humans he hated so much. He shook the thoughts away. No. He was different than them. He was even different than that she-wolf back there, and it wasn't in a good way. There was a reason he had a scar on his chest, and every time he looked in a mirror, he was never allowed to forget what had put it there.

Turning down another corner he stopped at a light and sighed in exhaustion. He didn't think of anything. He just listened to the rain falling on his helmet as he stared at the light, willing it to change. Once it did he sped down the street at top speed, wanting to get home as fast as possible. Wanting to get away from that intense stare of the blue-eyed boy.

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**A/N:** yes, Tsume has a back story to his scar, but it's different than it what happened in the anime, that's all i'll say, cause i know i'll be asked. well? is Ryooshi ok? i know some people have problems with OCs, so i try to keep mine from turning into Mary-Sues. reviews?


	3. Hige Reborn

**A/N: **next chappie!

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_**Chapter 3: Hige Reborn**_

He walked down the street, shoving a hot dog in his mouth at the same time. He held the bag of food closer to him as he walked, knowing the bag would be empty by the time he got home, but he didn't care. He was so hungry!

Walking along he adjusted his coat once shoving the rest of the hot dog in his mouth but suddenly felt as if he was being watched. No. Not just watched. _Stared at_. And there was a sweet scent coming from somewhere as well. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he immediately looked around to find the source of the stare _and_ the smell. Looking across the street he noticed a boy about his own age with a girl under his arm.

No. Not a boy. _A wolf_. Another wolf, in this city? He thought he was the only one. Well, wolf or no, that was the source of the stare, even though the boy had turned away, Hige had caught a glimpse of his blue eyes under the head of black hair just before he looked away, and he smelled the scent trailing behind him and that girl. Whatever perfume she was wearing, it smelled nice. Like flowers.

Glancing up and down the street again he looked to the boy once more then stepped off the curb. He jerked back onto the sidewalk when a motorcycle zoomed by and almost took his leg off. He turned a scowl to the biker as he made a U-turn to face him, and Hige saw the biker's piercing jade eyes glaring at him in anger.

"Watch where you're goin' will ya?!" he shouted at the biker, but a sudden feeling of nostalgia swept over him.

Ignoring it, he looked both ways before attempting to cross the street again, also ignoring the fact that the biker was doing the staring now. He'd seen it as soon as he'd set eyes on him, as well. He was a wolf, too but he didn't think about that. He needed to get to that blue-eyed boy. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about _him_ brought that feeling as well. Almost like he knew the guy, but he knew that was impossible because he would have remembered. Then again, his memory wasn't what it used to be.

Hige watched the boy go into a diner but didn't follow. Instead he parked himself a few feet away from the entrance, next to the huge window to allow you to look into the diner and pulled out another hot dog. He sat there for a while before someone walked past, but stopped and stood in front of him. Frowning, Hige looked up to see a young boy---or rather, a young _wolf_, standing in front of him with wide amber eyes, a kitten in his arms.

"What?" Hige shrugged, wondering why he was being stared at so much today.

The boy shook away his look of shock and muttered, "N-Nothing."

He walked away quickly and Hige frowned at him as he did. What was going on today? It was turning out to get really weird, and it was only half over. Still, as he watched the kid round the corner of the last building on the block, he felt that same feeling of nostalgia. That same nagging at the back of his mind saying he should know the kid, but he couldn't come up with a name.

He couldn't come up with a name for the biker, or the black haired guy with the sweet smelling girl or even the pup with the kitten. He was at a loss as to why he couldn't remember any of them if he _had_ met them. His memory was bad, he admitted, bad had it gotten _that_ bad?

"Get outta here! I don't take in strays!"

Hige started from his thoughts and looked to the door just as a girl with dark brown hair wearing mostly brown clothes was shoved out of the diner and into the rain.

"You stupid, son of a---!"

Her insult was cut off when the man slammed the diner door in her face and Huge only watched as she continued ranting.

"I _paid_ for my food!" she shouted at the door. "It's not _my_ fault your waitresses are slow! I'm _hungry_!"

She stomped her foot in frustration, much like a child then shoved her pockets in her pants and started to walk toward him, but she stopped as she looked back into the window of the diner. He watched in amusement as she started talking into the glass, pointing at herself then into the diner.

"You're a wolf, like me!" he heard her say, and he couldn't figure out if she was talking to her reflection, or the boy he'd wanted to see inside, because he saw that _she_ was a wolf as well.

The girl suddenly started giggling and spun around happily making Hige frown in puzzlement. She suddenly stopped and looked to the glass to say, "My name is Ryooshi! Who's that pretty girl that smells so good with you?!"

The man who threw her out must've threatened to return because she suddenly started walking rapidly toward him and he only looked down at his next hot dog to shove it in his mouth. He tried to ignore her, realizing she was obviously crazy, but she stopped next to him and knew she was probably eyeing his food.

"Can I help you?" he wondered in a slightly irritated tone and as he looked up at her he was met with wide, jade eyes.

"Those hot dogs?" she questioned, nodding at the bag. "They sure smell good."

"They're _mine_," Hige said, not in the mood for sharing. Especially with a crazy she-wolf. "Go dig around in a dumpster somewhere."

"Well, gee-whiz, man!" she snapped and started walking past him. "Don't have to be so stingy! Like _you_ haven't dumpster-dived before?! Whatever."

Hige didn't watch her leave, he was just glad he didn't have that nostalgic feeling when he saw _her_. If he had, he probably would have thrown a hot dog at her…_literally_. He chomped down on his hot dog and sighed in contentment. He didn't know what he was waiting for. Probably for that kid to come out with his girl, but why? What could they possibly do for him?

It was starting to drive him a little crazy, not knowing why these wolves were here, or why they all seemed familiar to him. All except for the Crazy She-Wolf. He sat there for a long time, trying to figure out where he could have met those first three before, but the more he tried to concentrate and think, the more his head started to hurt. He knew, thinking long and hard, sometimes wasn't good for him.

He jumped when he saw someone come out of the diner out of the corner of his eye. A woman---no, _another wolf_---started walking toward him, a cup of something steaming in one hand, a smile on her lips. Hige stared at her with wide eyes as she came closer. That same familiar feeling returned but it was coupled with amazement at her beauty. He could have stared at her forever, and he hardly registered that she was talking to him as she knelt down in front of him.

Her deep blue eyes smiled at him through strands of black hair and he finally recovered himself enough to say, "Say that again? The rain's really loud."

"I brought you some hot chocolate," she smiled, warmly. "You look like you could use it."

"Oh," he chirped, taking the cup. "Thanks, Miss…?"

"Blue," she smiled again. "Just Blue. No Miss."

"Thanks…Blue." He could have uttered that syllable a thousand times and never get tired of it.

"You're welcome…uh…?" She trailed off, waiting for him to finish with his name, but he didn't catch his cue and just stared at her for a moment before it hit him.

"Oh! Hige!" he finally replied. "My name's Hige."

"Hige," Blue nodded, and he almost sighed in contentment at hearing her say his name so sweetly. He was suddenly brought back to reality when he realized he had to pay for the drink. He shoved his free hand in his pocket, looking for money.

"How much is this---?"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Blue grinned, standing and Hige looked up at her with wide, reddish eyes. "It's on the house. Feel free to come inside if you want, too."

"Nah," he shrugged. "I'm alright here."

Blue nodded but he noticed she didn't go back. She stood there for a moment and he wondered if he _should_ go in just so _she_ didn't have to stand in the rain. He was about to get up when she suddenly said, "You know, you're the fifth wolf I've seen today."

He looked up at her with wide eyes and replied, "Really?! You're my fifth, too!"

"Where are they coming from?" she wondered with a smile.

"I have no clue but some of them were _staring_ at me," Hige reported. "And, I think I might know them, but I'm not sure."

"You know, one of the other wolves said that too," Blue informed him, sitting next to him. "He said that he and _I_ had met before, but _I_ don't remember him. I said maybe we'd met in a past life."

"That makes sense," Hige nodded, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. Blue suddenly shivered and he looked at her with wide eyes, feeling guilty that such a pretty girl was out here in the rain because of him. Setting down his drink he quickly pulled off his rain coat, making Blue frown at him.

"What are you doing?" she wondered. "Don't you need that? It's freezing!"

"_You_ might need it more than _I_ do," he smiled warmly and draped the coat over her shoulders.

"No! I can't! The rain---!"

"I'm fine, really," he assured her, picking up his drink and taking another sip. She stared at him with those wide, blue eyes filled with shock and awe and he gave a sideways glance as he smirked, "That makes four."

Blue frowned and asked, "Four what?"

"Four wolves I've met that have stared at me," Hige smiled and she chuckled.

"Blue!"

They both jumped and turned to the diner entrance to see a big man standing in the doorway.

"I don't pay you to flirt when you should be taking orders!" he snapped and stormed back into the diner as Blue sighed in exasperation then looked at Hige with a smile.

"I gotta go," she said and as she stood she went to give Hige the coat back, but he shook his head.

"Keep it," he smiled. "I don't need it now that I've got this…" He held up his hot chocolate and Blue stared at him with wide eyes again as a slight blush tinted her dark skin.

"You're sure?" she wondered, and Hige nodded again.

"Think of it as something to remember me by," he smirked with a wink and she smirked back, her hands on her hips.

"I'm not so easy," she retorted, causing his eyes to widen at _her_ as she turned and walked back into the diner, taking the coat with her. He let his smirk return. That girl had it all. She was a babe, she was caring, and she had a bit of a bite. He liked that. As he stood up, he pulled the hood of his yellow sweat jacket over his head and gathered his bags into his arms, hoping he'd see that girl again, and hoping if he could figure out why she was giving him that nostalgic feeling.

"Blue," he smiled, walking down the street. "That's a great name."

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**A/N:** told you there'd be overlapping! aw, Hige and Blue. that pairing is just so cute to me, so i couldn't , wucha think? reviews?


	4. Toboe Reborn

**A/N:** my other fave! next chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 4: Toboe Reborn**_

"Aw, you're so adorable!" he grinned, his amber eyes shining at the little white kitten in the box.

"Are you all alone, too?" he murmured to the shivering little thing.

"Yes," the kitten replied in a small voice. He suddenly felt a shiver run up his spine and glanced behind him. He saw a boy, older than himself, down the block waiting at to cross the street. He shot to his feet when he saw his blue eyes and black hair, and noticed the girl standing with him. He almost couldn't believe he was seeing that wolf again.

"Kiba…" he murmured. He wanted to run toward him and greet him, but he wasn't sure if he would remember him. Even if _he_ remembered who he was, he wasn't sure if Kiba, or any of the others for that matter, would remember him. Sighing, he turned back to the kitten, kneeling at the box.

"Hey, how 'bout you come home with me?" he smiled to the little kitten. "I've got a great place. It's warm and dry, and I'm sure Sister would _love_ you!"

"Sister?" the kitten wondered.

"Well, she's not _really_ my sister," he laughed. "She's a human, but I call her that 'cause she's not that old enough to be a mom or a granny. You wanna come with me?"

"Ok," the kitten replied and he grinned then looked around to see if anyone claimed the cute little thing in the box. When he saw no one, he reached in with one hand, as the other was holding an umbrella to keep him dry from the rain, and pulled the kitten out as it meowed. He pulled the blanket under the fur-ball with it and wrapped it around him to keep him dry. Rummaging through his pocket with the umbrella hand, he pulled out some money and threw it into the box, in case anyone was selling it.

"Now, let's get you home and warmed up, ok?" he smiled, hugging the kitten close then heading toward the end of the block. He noticed another boy, older than himself, a _wolf_, in a blue raincoat sitting a few feet away from the entrance to the diner he was heading toward, a bag at his feet. As he stepped in front of him, he suddenly realized who it was when he saw the boy's face and stopped, staring at him with wide eyes. He couldn't believe he was there as well!

_Is it really him?_ he thought to himself. _Is it __really__ Hige?!_

The boy looked up at him with a frown and shrugged, "What?"

Toboe shook his expression away and sputtered, "N-Nothing."

He walked away quickly, his heart heavy that after not seeing any of his friends for so long, none of them, he was sure, would remember them. Passing the huge window to the diner he gave a sideways glance, but kept walking and saw Kiba sitting with the girl he'd been walking with, and a waitress he knew as well. Once clear of the window he gave a small smile to himself.

"Blue is here, too," he murmured to himself. "And so close to Hige. That's good. Maybe they'll remember each other. Blue looked so happy, too."

He was so consumed in his thoughts that he didn't look around the corner of the building at the end of the block before rounding it, and rammed into a man in black.

"Whoa! I'm sorry, Mister!" he apologized quickly, pulling the kitten a little closer. The poor thing was asleep, now. He suddenly realized he'd bumped into another wolf and looked up at him with wide eyes to see familiar jade orbs and silver hair, cut short and some pulled back in a thin ponytail. His heart skipped a beat in joy as the older one looked back at him, and he prayed he remembered him.

_Please, Tsume,_ he willed, silently. _Please remember me._

"What's wrong with you, huh, runt?" he snapped, and Toboe's heart sank as he realized he didn't remember.

"N-Nothing, Mister," he replied, still in shock. "S-Sorry I bumped into you. I'll just get going now."

He walked around him, and the bike leaning on the building.

"Hey!" Tsume called, and Toboe turned around with wide eyes, his heart thudding in his chest with hope. "Have we met before?"

Toboe said nothing for a moment as his eyes shrunk down a bit, and his heart sank in disappointment. He finally replied, "No, Mister. I'd remember a guy with a bike. See ya."

He turned again and walked away, his head bowed. He had hoped, out of anyone, _Tsume_ would remember, but he didn't. In reality, he couldn't understand why _he_ could remember everything that had happened. Was it because he had been the first out of all of them to die? Maybe. He also thought Kiba would remember as well, but he didn't want to go to him and then find out he had no memory. He was afraid of getting hurt because of that.

"I'm not a brat!"

He jumped from his thoughts and looked behind him to see a girl with dark brown hair shouting at Tsume as he revved the engine on his bike, getting ready to leave. She was a wolf too, but he hadn't met _her_ before.

"You had better apologize to me!" she yelled, and Toboe watched as Tsume only waved at her then sped off.

He watched him turn to head the direction he was going, but when Tsume had disappeared from his sight, Toboe turned back to look at the girl. She was shivering, even though she was wearing a warm, white turtle neck under a brown, Indian designed, short-sleeved sweater, sprinkled with yellow and green. Her tan boots that gathered at her ankles were soaked through, along with her top and brown pants. He felt sorry for her, and saw her jade eyes start to tear up a bit. He walked toward her and held his umbrella over her head as he stood next to her. She gasped and looked at him with wide eyes as he only smiled back warmly.

"Hi, there," he smiled and she wiped some water from her face. "My name's Toboe. What's yours?"

"Ryooshi," she replied then smiled slightly as she said, "You're a wolf, like me."

"Yup," Toboe nodded then grinned, making her giggle.

"I've met a whole _bunch_ of wolves today," she reported, making sure she was fully under the umbrella. "I didn't think there were so many in this city! Aren't you surprised, too?!"

"A little," he shrugged, still smiling. He was happy to talk to somebody new, and she seemed so nice. He reminded her a bit of Lera, the only difference being that she was a wolf, like him.

"Thanks for sharing your umbrella with me," she smiled. "I'm absolutely soaked!"

"Sure thing!" he grinned. "Where're you headed?"

"Oh, no place in particular," Ryooshi replied. "How 'bout you?"

"I'm headed home," he said, then had an idea and looked to her with wide eyes, filled with excitement as he asked, "You wanna come home with me? You can dry off there, and have something to eat while you wait for the rain to stop."

"Oh, no!" Ryooshi breathed, shaking her head. "I wouldn't want to impose. Besides, you should get that cute little kitten home before he freezes to death!"

"It's alright," Toboe insisted. "I'd feel bad if I left you here in the rain. You'll get sick out here."

Ryooshi smiled at his kindness then shrugged as she replied, "Why not?"

Toboe grinned and gestured which way they'd be going. She stood close to him under the umbrella as they headed down the street then looked down at the kitten.

"Do you want me to hold him for you?" she wondered, referring to the fur-ball in his arms.

"Oh, you don't have to," he smiled. "Unless you _want_ to, that is."

He didn't even have to ask that question twice. Just the way she was looking at the kitten told him the answer. Smiling he carefully handed her the kitten, making her grin as she took it, holding it close and stroking it gently as it still slept and he still held the umbrella.

"What's its name?" she wondered as they still walked.

"I haven't named him yet," Toboe replied. "I just got him a few minutes ago."

"Really?!" Ryooshi giggled. "What do you _think_ you'll name him then?"

Toboe looked at the kitten then back at her and laughed nervously, replying, "I hadn't really thought about it. He was an impulse buy."

Ryooshi giggled again and complimented, "You're funny. You're so nice, too. Thanks for letting me stay with you a while. I owe you big. If there's _anything_ you need, just ask."

"That's ok," he shrugged, blushing only slightly at her compliments. "You don't need to. Sister gives me everything I need."

"Oh, you have a sister?" Ryooshi smiled in sincere interest.

"Well, she's a human," he explained. "So she can't _really_ be my sister. But she's _like_ a sister to me."

"That's so nice!" she replied. "I don't have anybody that I live with. I'm a true stray, I guess." Toboe snickered and she giggled again before asking, "What's your 'sister's' name?"

"Liona," he replied. "She's really nice. You'll like her."

"I'm sure," Ryooshi nodded and turned back to stroking the kitten in her arms.

He suddenly remembered she had spoken to Tsume and thought of asking her if she really knew him or if they had just met, but decided not to. If she _did_ know him, she'd probably tell him that Toboe had asked about him. And if he told her he was a friend of his, he was sure Tsume wouldn't know who she was talking about. He didn't want to feel the hurt when the one he considered to be his best friend out of the pack didn't remember him.

No, he'd just have to keep on going, and not try to get any of them to remember, no matter how much he _wanted_ them to. He knew it would only end up in hurt, for him. Besides, now he had this nice girl to talk to, and he was sure they'd end up great friends.

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**A/N:** wow, that was shorter than i thought it would be. and yes, i gave him somebody like Granny. i figured it wood fit. anyway, for those of you wondering; no, this is not ToboeXOC. *shakes head violently* get that outta ur head right now! it's not ToboeXTsume either. the Moe character will not be corrupted by such things, and i dont do yaoi anyway. so, how you like? reviews?


	5. Blue Reborn

**A/N:** Wow, this took forever didn't it? well, here it is! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 5: Blue Reborn**_

Blue sighed as she leaned on the counter in the busy restaurant, tapping her pencil on her notepad that sat on the counter's surface in boredom. Though the restaurant was busy, there were hardly any people that were being served because they mostly wanted to get out of the rain. She couldn't help but glance over at a young girl sitting by herself at a table. She couldn't help glancing at her because she was a wolf, like herself, and she thought it was strange. She didn't think there would be many wolves in this city.

The girl had ordered a while ago, and Blue was worried she'd be thrown out because the waitress that had taken her order was taking so long. Her boss would probably think she was a loiterer, and he _hated_ loiterers. He said they were the worst kind of time-wasters. She thought of going up to the girl and taking her order, even though it wasn't her table, but at that moment, a boy with black hair and intense blue eyes walked in with a girl in a pink raincoat under his arm. They both looked soaked through and she stood tall when she realized that the boy was actually a wolf. _Another_ wolf.

She watched the couple walk toward an empty table that was in her station and made her way around the table, chancing a glance out the window at the front of the diner and stopping dead to make a double-take when she saw a young boy walk down the sidewalk, an umbrella in one hand, a bundle of something in the other. She saw immediately that the boy was another wolf, and watched him walk all the way across the glass with wide eyes filled with astonishment.

Once he was out of sight she frowned and shook the thought from her head and remembered the couple that had were sitting at the table. She headed toward them, notepad and pencil in hand, a smile on her lips as she approached.

"What can I get you folks?" she smiled brilliantly, making the boy jump with a start as he looked up at her, but she only glanced between them, still smiling and not failing to notice that the girl with him smelled really nice. She must have been wearing some special perfume or something.

"Nothing," he replied, gently and Blue tapped her notepad a bit, worriedly. "We're just here to get out of the rain."

"Maybe some hot chocolate or coffee?" she urged then leaned close enough to whisper, "If you don't order anything my manager'll make me kick you out. I'd rather not do that to poor folks trying to keep dry."

The boy smiled, warmly and nodded, saying, "Alright then. Two hot chocolates."

Blue nodded in relief and wrote the order down on her tablet with a smile and said, "I'll be your waitress for today. The name's Blue."

"Thank you, Blue," Kiba nodded and she walked away with a smile. She was headed toward the counter to get the order when she ran into a big man with a grunt.

"Blue, after you get those two their order, I need you to take out the garbage," the man ordered. "It stinks to high heaven and I don't need the smell driving away my customers.

"Yes, boss," Blue nodded, holding back a sigh as she tried to continue on her way, but a hand on her arm stopped her.

"How long has that girl been there?" her boss asked, gesturing to the young girl sitting by herself that Blue had been observing earlier.

"I'm not sure," she replied as honestly as she could. "A while, I suppose. I think I saw Sandy wait on her a while ago."

"Well, Sandy doesn't remember her," her boss replied, letting go of her arm. "I asked her."

_She wouldn't_, Blue thought to herself. _That woman has the memory of gnat._

"Alright, then, go about your work," her boss instructed and Blue nodded then walked away. She made it around the counter and started serving up some the two orders of hot chocolate.

"Hey! Let go of me!"

Blue jumped when she heard the shout and stopped what she was doing to lean over the counter and see what was going on. She gave a small gasp when she saw the young girl who had been waiting for her order struggling against the manager of the diner who was holding her under her arms and shoving her toward the door as she struggled.

"You can't do this!" she snarled, still struggling. "I'm a customer! I paid for a meal!"

"You're loitering!" the manager snapped back, still shoving her toward the door. "You said you ordered food hours ago! Now get outta here! We're open for customers _only_!"

"But I _am_!" she shouted as everyone watched her being shoved out the door.

"Bull shit!" the manager snarled, and shoved the door open then almost threw her out and into the street. "Get outta here! I don't take in strays!"

"You stupid, son of a---!"

He shut the door before she finished insulting him, but she still ranted and raved outside, the sound of the rain along with the sound proof glass window and door drowned out her voice, however. Blue felt pity for the poor girl, but couldn't help her small smile of amusement as the girl still ranted and raved outside.

Blue watched as she was about to walk away but as soon as she caught sight of the boy with the girl she was serving, she became excited and started talking to him through the glass. Blue glanced between the two, but didn't catch any of what the girl was saying, only that the boy seemed confused but still responded to her.

"Blue!"

She jumped and turned to her manager who was still standing next to the door with a stern expression.

"Get to work!"

"Yes, boss," Blue nodded and noticed him step toward the door, looking straight at the girl still outside.

"I told you to get outta here!" he shouted through the window at the girl and she jumped at the sight of him then darted down the street. Blue gave an exhausted sigh and glanced up at the clock as she finished serving up the hot chocolates. One more hour and she could go home to a nice, warm fire.

She took the two cups carefully in her hands and started back toward the couple who'd ordered them, slapping a smile over her face as she did so.

"Here ya go!" she smiled, placing a steaming cup of hot chocolate each in front of them. "That outta warm you guys up!"

"Thank you, Blue," the boy replied and she nodded then looked at the girl and smiled, unable to resist asking her.

"Your perfume smells so nice. Can I ask what it is?" she wondered.

"This one does not wear perfume," the girl replied strangely.

"So that's your natural scent?" Blue giggled, partly at the way the girl talked and partly at her answer. "Well, you smell great."

"Thank you," the girl replied.

"Waitress!" a customer called before she could say anything else, and she hurried to help them.

"Yes, Sir?" she asked the man sitting at the window looking into the street.

"I asked for coffee a half hour ago, and I haven't gotten it yet!" he reported, grumpily.

"I'm so sorry, sir," Blue replied, gently. "I'll see what's taking so long and get you that coffee _myself_."

"Thank you," the man nodded, a little calmer. "That other waitress should be more like you."

"Thank you, sir," she smiled but before she walked away she noticed a figure hunched over outside the window sitting a few feet away, but not far enough that didn't spot him. She felt bad that whoever that was out there was sitting in the cold and decided his seat was in her station.

Assuring the customer in front of her that she would be right back, she hurried over the coffee machine, served up a mug of coffee and was about to serve a cup of hot chocolate as well, but her manager came up next to her.

"I thought I asked you to take out the trash," he recalled.

"Yes, boss," she nodded. "I'm sorry. I'll do that right now. Let me just get this coffee to one of the customers."

True to her word she carefully headed back to the man who had asked for his coffee and he gratefully received it with a thank you. She nodded and hurried back to the kitchen to gather the garbage. There was more then she thought, and the bags were huge.

She lugged the bags toward the back door leading to the alley and backed out, dragging the bags out in front of her. She blew a strand of her black hair from her blue eyes as she threw the bags into the dumpster then sighed in more exhaustion. She suddenly felt her hair standing on end and glanced down the alley to see a man all in black with piercing jade eyes and silver hair staring at her.

She looked back at him with a curious gaze as he only continued to stare at her, mouth slightly agape and she smirked, realizing he was yet _another _wolf, and placed her hands on her hips as she said, "Don't stare _too_ long. Your eyes'll fall out of your head."

"We've met," he blurted and she frowned at him in confusion.

"We have?" she wondered, not recognizing him at all. "I don't remember. I think I'd remember seeing another wolf around like you."

"We've met, I know it," he insisted.

"What, like in a past life or something?" she smirked, jokingly. "'Cause I've never met _you_."

He stared at her for a moment and they both jumped with a start when they heard a crash and Blue spun around in shock to see a pile of trash cans had fallen into a pile, and something was moving in the pile of tin as well.

"Dangit!" a girl's voice snarled then complained, "This is turning out to be a fun day."

The pile moved again and Blue saw the young girl that had been kicked out of the diner shove herself out of the trash in the alleyway and dust herself off. The girl looked up with wide jade eyes through a few strands of dark brown hair and grinned at them.

"Wow! More wolves!" she cheered and ran toward the two as they only stood there, confused. "I'm Ryooshi! Nice to meet you!" She gripped Blue's hand and shook it fiercely. "I know your name. You're the nice waitress in that place I was just thrown out of. Blue, right?"

"Y-Yeah," she replied, a bit confused and frightened at the girl's energy and Ryooshi nodded then looked to the man behind her who cocked an eyebrow at her in wonder. She stared at him with wide eyes, loosening the grip on Blue's hand to walk toward him. Blue watched as the man stayed where he was but watched Ryooshi carefully as she slowly walked toward him, staying where she was as well, for the moment.

"You're Tsume, right?" she guessed and he looked at her in mild surprise.

"How'd ya know that?" he humored, and Blue heard in his tone the he wasn't really interested in the answer.

"I've heard about you from the animals _and_ humans around here," she explained, stopping right in front of him. "You're pretty famous."

"That so?" he muttered, staring at her.

Blue took the opportunity to sneak away through the door she'd just come out of. She shut the door behind her and leaned back on it. She couldn't believe how many wolves she was meeting today. It was strange. She suddenly remembered the person outside the diner and hurried to serve up a cup of hot chocolate. After doing that she headed toward the front door and outside, turning to the hunched figure in the blue rain coat.

Her steps almost faltered when she noticed him jump and realized _he_ was wolf as well, but managed to keep walking. She felt her heart skip a beat when he looked up at her and stared at her as she approached him with a smile.

"You look like you could use this," she smiled. "It's hot chocolate."

The boy with light brown hair and red-tinted eyes only stared at her for a moment then finally replied, "Say that again? The rain's really loud."

"I brought you some hot chocolate," she rephrased, still smiling warmly. "You look like you could use it."

"Oh," he chirped, taking the cup. "Thanks, Miss…?"

"Blue," she smiled again. "Just Blue. No Miss."

"Thanks…Blue."

She felt her heart skip a beat again hearing him say her name and but she managed to reply, "You're welcome…uh…?"

She trailed off, waiting for him to finish with his name, but he didn't catch his cue and just stared at her for a moment before it hit him.

"Oh! Hige!" he finally replied. "My name's Hige."

"Hige," Blue nodded, and couldn't help a strange sense of familiarity. It was as though she knew him from somewhere, but she couldn't remember to save her life, no matter how hard she though on it. She suddenly noticed him shove a hand into his pocket and wondered what he could be doing, then realized he was probably trying to pay for the drink.

"How much is this---?"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" she grinned, standing and Hige looked up at her with wide. "It's on the house. Feel free to come inside if you want, too."

"Nah," he shrugged. "I'm alright here."

Blue nodded, but didn't head back into the diner. She felt strange leaving him out there all alone, and also, for whatever reason, she didn't want to leave his company. She realized they were having an awkward silence and decided to break the ice by saying, "You know, you're the fifth wolf I've seen today."

He looked up at her with wide eyes and replied, "Really?! You're my fifth, too!"

"Where are they coming from?" she wondered with a smile of relief that they could talk comfortably with each other.

"I have no clue but some of them were _staring_ at me," Hige reported. "And, I think I might know them, but I'm not sure."

"You know, one of the other wolves said that too," Blue replied, sitting next to him. "He said that he and _I_ had met before, but _I_ don't remember him. I said maybe we'd met in a past life."

"That makes sense," Hige nodded, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. She suddenly shivered and he looked at her with wide eyes. She didn't realize it was _this_ cold out until now. She noticed him set his drink down and quickly pull off his rain coat, making her frown at him.

"What are you doing?" she wondered in astonishment. "Don't you need that? It's freezing!"

"_You_ might need it more than _I_ do," he smiled warmly and draped the coat over her shoulders.

"No! I can't! The rain---!"

"I'm fine, really," he assured her, picking up his drink and taking another sip. She stared at him with wide eyes filled with shock and awe and he gave a sideways glance as he smirked, "That makes four."

She frowned, not getting the joke and asked, "Four what?"

"Four wolves I've met that have stared at me," Hige smiled and she chuckled.

"Blue!"

They both jumped and turned to the diner entrance to see her manager standing in the doorway.

"I don't pay you to flirt when you should be taking orders!" he snapped and stormed back into the diner as Blue sighed in exasperation and slight disappointment then looked at Hige with a smile.

"I gotta go," she said and as she stood she went to give Hige the coat back, but he shook his head.

"Keep it," he smiled. "I don't need it now that I've got this…" He held up his hot chocolate and she stared at him with wide eyes again as she a slight blush come to her cheeks.

"You're sure?" she wondered, and Hige nodded again.

"Think of it as something to remember me by," he smirked with a wink and she smirked back, her hands on her hips.

"I'm not so easy," she retorted, causing his eyes to widen at her as she turned and walked back into the diner, taking the coat with her. She walked into the diner and couldn't believe how hard and fast her heart was pounding in her chest. She looked down at the jacket in her hands and smiled.

"Hige," she murmured with a smile. "Why do I have a weird feeling we'll be meeting again?"

"Blue!" the manager shouted at her, making her shoot her gaze up at him. "Get back to work!"

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**A/N:** Yay! Hige and Blue! as i said before, i love this pairing! it's so cute! ok, so, how'd i do? reviews?


	6. Ryooshi

**A/N:** my muse? the Wolf's Rain soundtracks. ^.^ Ryooshi means Huntress. enjoy!

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_**Chapter 6: Ryooshi**_

Ryooshi tapped her nails impatiently on the table. She'd been waiting for at least a half hour for her food, maybe longer. She placed her head on the table in boredom and her stomach felt like it was eating itself, she was so hungry. She hated that feeling. She wished she'd gotten the other waitress to serve her instead of the blonde bimbo she'd ended up with. What was that one's name?

"Sandy," she sneered, mockingly then mumbled, "Next time I come here, I'm asking for that waitress that was actually a wolf…what's her name?" She thought for a moment then shot her head up in realization and grinned, "Blue!"

She lowered her head back down onto the table but heard the door open and shut, and she suddenly caught a sweet scent. Her head shot up and she looked around, sniffing the air and trying to figure out where that wonderful scent was coming from. She caught sight of a couple sitting down at one of the tables and realized the smell was coming from that girl. And what a wonderful scent it was. She thought of going to them and asking why she smelled so good, but thought better of it. If that twit waitress came back with her food, she'd think she had left.

She jumped when a hand placed itself on her shoulder and her eyes widened in terror as she slowly looked up the connecting arm to meet an angry, manly face. She laughed nervously and smiled with a wave, but the man's expression didn't change.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to leave if you're not going to order anything," he said, sternly.

"B-But I _did_," Ryooshi replied. "That girl, Sandy took my order. I paid for it and everything already. She said it would be easier if I paid right away, that way I could just leave when I was done."

"Nice try, but I'm _not_ falling for that, Missy," the man replied and picked her up out of the chair by the arm, but she yanked her arm from his grip.

"No hold on a second---!" she tried, but the man gathered her into is arms and started her toward the door, to which she struggled.

"Hey! Let go of me!" she snarled, making a scene in the diner, but not caring at who looked at her. "You can't do this! I'm a customer! I paid for a meal!"

"You're loitering!" the man snapped back, still shoving her toward the door. "You said you ordered food hours ago! Now get outta here! We're open for customers _only_!"

"But I _am_!" she shouted as everyone watched her being shoved out the door.

"Bull shit!" the man snarled, and shoved the door open then almost threw her out and into the street. "Get outta here! I don't take in strays!"

"You stupid, son of a---!"

The man shut the door before she finished insulting him, but she still ranted and raved outside, shouting at the door, "I _paid_ for my food!" she shouted at the door. "It's not _my_ fault your waitresses are slow! I'm _hungry_!"

She stomped her foot in frustration, then shoved her pockets in her pants and started to walk but when she looked back into the window she suddenly realized the boy with blue eyes and black hair sitting with the sweet scented girl was a wolf. She couldn't believe she'd found _another_ wolf in this city. This was incredible!

Standing at the window she caught the boy's attention and once he was looking at her she pointed at herself then at him saying, "You're a wolf, like me!"

The boy nodded and Ryooshi became so giddy she couldn't help herself from spinning around in a circle and giggling like mad.

She looked back at the window and grinned, "My name is Ryooshi! Who's that pretty girl that smells so good with you?!"

She suddenly jumped again when she saw the man that had thrown her out yelling at her again and hurried down the street. She sighed but suddenly caught another scent. A _mouth-watering_ scent of meat. She noticed a figure…no, another wolf, sitting with a bag in his lap and a hot dog in his hand as she stopped right in front of him. She noticed he had brown hair and red eyes and looked about the same age as the boy in the diner, but she couldn't help staring at his food.

"Can I help you?" he wondered, irritably and looked up to meet her wide eyes.

"Those hot dogs?" she wondered, nodding at the bag. "They sure smell good."

"They're _mine_," he snapped. "Go dig around in a dumpster somewhere."

"Well, gee-whiz, man!" she snapped back and started walking past him. "Don't have to be so stingy! Like _you_ haven't dumpster-dived before?! Whatever."

Ryooshi gave a sigh and turned down the alley between the diner and the next building. She stopped and leaned against the wall, placing her hand on her stomach when it growled, loudly.

"Gotta find food," she groaned then thought on what the hot dog wolf had suggested. "Well, dumpster diving isn't all _that_ bad, I guess."

She sneered at the thought, but knew she had to get food somehow and trudged down the alley a little farther to head to the back of the diner. She figured there _had_ to be food behind a diner of all places. She rounded into the alley behind the diner but something caught her eye at the other end of the alley where more buildings lined the other side of the block.

She cautiously headed down to the other alley when she caught sight of a rat or something, scurry into a fallen paper bag. Smacking her lips together hungrily, she inched toward it and was about to grab it but something _else_ came out of the bag. A hiss and a cat's cry came from the bag as a clawed paw reached out and swiped Ryooshi's nose.

"Get outta here!" the cat screamed as Ryooshi shook her head violently but didn't quite dodge the cat's claws. She yelped and backed away then turned to run out of fright and surprise but she didn't watch where she was going and before she could catch herself she was headed toward a pile of tin trash cans on the other end of the alley behind the diner and crashed into them.

"Dangit!" she snarled as she sat there in the garbage for a moment then complained, "This is turning out to be a fun day."

She shoved herself from the trash cans and dusted herself off, shaking her head at herself. Of _course_ it would end up like this the _one_ time she attempted dumpster diving. Feeling herself being watched she looked down the alley and noticed two others of her kind standing some feet away from her. She was excited to see the nice waitress from the diner, and noticing her first, Ryooshi didn't really see the other male wolf behind her.

"Wow! More wolves!" she cheered and ran toward the two as they only stood there looking confused. "I'm Ryooshi! Nice to meet you!" She gripped the woman's hand and shook it fiercely. "I know your name. You're the nice waitress in that place I was just thrown out of. Blue, right?"

"Y-Yeah," she replied and Ryooshi nodded then looked to the man in black with jade eyes, lighter than hers and silver hair, some pulled back into a thin pony tail and as she looked to him, he cocked an eyebrow at her in wonder. She stared at him with wide eyes, loosening the grip on Blue's hand to walk toward him. Blue was forgotten as she suddenly found herself entranced by him, and as she headed toward him, he stayed where he was but watched her carefully as she realized who he was.

"You're Tsume, right?" she guessed and he looked at her in mild surprise.

"How'd ya know that?" he humored, not really sounding interested in the answer.

"I've heard about you from the animals _and_ humans around here," she explained, stopping right in front of him. "You're pretty famous."

"That so?" he muttered, staring at her but she noticed him glance behind her and realized that Blue must have been leaving.

"Oh, yeah," Ryooshi nodded, ignoring shutting of the door behind her as Blue escaped. "You run with a pack of humans, I heard. Don't you get lonely being with them all the time and not with your own kind?"

"I don't get lonely," he replied and with that he turned and tried to head toward his bike, but she felt her heart race in panic. He couldn't leave yet! Not when she was so fascinated by him. She had to keep talking to him for some reason, unknown to her, she just _had_ to.

"How do you keep from getting lonely?" Ryooshi wondered, hurrying after him and coming up next to him, but he only stared ahead. "I'd really like to know your secret. I'm lonely _all_ the time."

"Don't make friends then," Tsume advised, not looking at her. "And don't become any human's pet."

"I'm not doing either of those," Ryooshi replied, in a slightly sorrowful tone, "and I'm _still_ lonely."

"Well, then I don't know what to tell ya, kid," Tsume replied, finally coming to his bike and pulling the helmet off the handle to put it on.

"Wow! Cool bike!" she grinned, moving to sit on it. Tsume gripped her arm and shoved her away, making her stumble and almost slip on the puddles on the sidewalk. She whirled around and scowled at him.

"I didn't say you could get on it," he said, mounting the bike. "Get lost, brat."

"I'm not a brat!" she yelled over the rev of his engine as he started the bike. "You had better apologize to me!"

Tsume looked at her through the windshield of his helmet and lifted a hand to wave at her before he sped off into the street and made a U-turn to drive away.

She stomped her feet and gave an angry growl in his direction as he sped away, then felt a sudden chill run through her body. She hugged herself and felt tears pricked her eyes and starting to well up in them. She was all alone again, hungry and tired. Tired of trying to survive on her own and wishing she could do as well as all the other wolves she'd seen today, but she knew she wouldn't be able to do that. A stray like herself wasn't good for anything. She learned that a long time ago and _nothing_ was going to change her mind about it, because she believed it was true. After all that had happened to her, how could it _not_ be true?

She suddenly felt the rain pouring down on her stop, and a shadow cast itself all around her and next to her. She gasped and looked up to meet the smiling, warm face of a boy about her age with auburn hair and amber eyes, holding an umbrella above her and a bundle in his other arm that she noticed, when she looked closer, was a kitten in a blanket. Another thing she noticed right away was that he was yet another wolf.

"Hi, there," he smiled and she wiped some water from her face she suspected could have been tears. "My name's Toboe. What's yours?"

"Ryooshi," she replied then smiled slightly as she said, "You're a wolf, like me."

"Yup," Toboe nodded then grinned, making her giggle.

"I've met a whole _bunch_ of wolves today," she reported, making sure she was fully under the umbrella. "I didn't think there were so many in this city! Aren't you surprised, too?!"

"A little," he shrugged, still smiling.

"Thanks for sharing your umbrella with me," she smiled. "I'm absolutely soaked!"

"Sure thing!" he grinned. "Where're you headed?"

"Oh, no place in particular," Ryooshi replied. "How 'bout you?"

"I'm headed home," he said, then suddenly looked to her with wide eyes, filled with excitement as he asked, "You wanna come home with me? You can dry off there, and have something to eat while you wait for the rain to stop."

"Oh, no!" Ryooshi breathed, shaking her head. "I wouldn't want to impose. Besides, you should get that cute little kitten home before he freezes to death!"

"It's alright," Toboe insisted. "I'd feel bad if I left you here in the rain. You'll get sick out here."

Ryooshi smiled at his kindness then shrugged as she replied, "Why not?"

Toboe grinned and gestured which way they'd be going. She stood close to him under the umbrella as they headed down the street then she looked down at the kitten.

"Do you want me to hold him for you?" she wondered, referring to the fur-ball in his arms and hoping he would say yes. Lord knew how much she _loved_ little animals.

"Oh, you don't have to," he smiled much to her chagrin, but then to her delight amended, "Unless you _want_ to, that is."

He didn't even have to ask that question twice, because she was looking at the kitten and smiling at it. Smiling as well, he carefully handed her the kitten, making her burst into a full grin as she took it, holding it close and stroking it gently as it still slept and he still held the umbrella.

_It's so cute!_ She thought to herself then asked, "What's its name?"

"I haven't named him yet," Toboe replied. "I just got him a few minutes ago."

"Really?!" Ryooshi giggled. "What do you _think_ you'll name him then?"

Toboe looked at the kitten then back at her and laughed nervously, replying, "I hadn't really thought about it. He was an impulse buy."

Ryooshi giggled again and complimented, "You're funny. You're so nice, too. Thanks for letting me stay with you a while. I owe you big. If there's _anything_ you need, just ask."

"That's ok," he shrugged, blushing only slightly making her frown inwardly in confusion. "You don't need to. Sister gives me everything I need."

"Oh, you have a sister?" Ryooshi smiled, wanting to know everything about her new friend.

"Well, she's a human," he explained. "So she can't _really_ be my sister. But she's _like_ a sister to me."

"That's so nice!" she replied. "I don't have anybody that I live with. I'm a true stray, I guess." Toboe snickered and she giggled again before asking, "What's your 'sister's' name?"

"Liona," he replied. "She's really nice. You'll like her."

"I'm sure," Ryooshi nodded and turned back to stroking the kitten in her arms. She was so glad she wasn't alone as they still walked down the street toward Toboe's home and grinning down at the still sleeping kitten, she allowed her mind to wander.

She thought of that wolf she'd met in the diner with the girl that smelled like a flower and recalled with clarity how intense his gaze was, but he seemed happy with that girl. She wondered if she'd ever meet him again. She wondered if she'd ever meet the others as well.

Ryooshi actually wouldn't have been disappointed if she didn't meet that stingy Hot Dog wolf again. He seemed too easily irritable when it came to food. She realized she could have been totally wrong, but his first impression lacked something to be desired. The again, rainy weather put people in bad moods.

She had watched Blue before she'd been kicked out of the diner, and hoped she'd meet her again. She hadn't gotten a chance to really talk to her in the alley either, because she'd been suddenly drawn to Tsume.

Tsume. She couldn't understand it. Why was she so drawn to him when he obviously thought she was annoying? Normally she would have just walked away since he'd been rather mean to her, but for whatever reason, she couldn't just leave it alone. Out of all of the wolves she'd met today, she hoped she'd see Tsume again the most.

However, out of all the wolves she'd run into that day, she most grateful she'd run into Toboe. He was nice enough to help her out, which was more than she could say of Tsume. Toboe also seemed nice, and friendly, and happy. She could tell they had a lot in common, and would get along just great. She was happy to have found someone who cared. After everything she'd been through, she wouldn't take this for granted.

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**A/N:** ooh! mysterious is the newest member of our cast! LOL ok, so i was on a roll and i really had fun with this chappie. ^.^ reviews?


	7. Eat, Run, Attack

**A/N:** and here's the next chapter! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 7: Eat, Run, Attack**_

"It's ok if you don't appear as a person in front of her," Toboe assured Ryooshi as they headed up a flight of stairs toward an apartment door. "She knows I'm a wolf. Actually, she found me when I was a pup. She took me in when nobody else would. She might even take you in, too!"

"I doubt it," Ryooshi muttered as they reached the door and snuggled the kitten she still held a little closer. She knew she couldn't be doing the thing any good because she was soaking wet and cold herself, but at least it had a warm blanket around it. Toboe closed his umbrella and shook the extra water from it as the two stood under the awning above the door but as Ryooshi glanced over the railing then looked back, she found Toboe gone.

"Toboe?" she called, looking around with a frown.

"Are you coming?"

She jumped and looked down to see his wolf head sticking out through the doggy door at the base of the door and blinked at him a few times. His wolf eyes stared at her expectantly as she glanced around nervously.

"Y-Yeah," she finally replied, and knelt down to the door. She shook her soaked dark brown fur then carefully picked up the kitten, still wrapped in its blanket, into her teeth to carry it through the door with her.

"Sister! I'm home!" Toboe called into the quant apartment as he helped Ryooshi stood, the kitten in her arms.

"Thank goodness!" a cheerful voice called back from the hall a few feet away from the door. Ryooshi instantly ducked behind Toboe when she heard footsteps hurrying down that hall and he gave her a small frown, but had no time to ask her what was wrong when a girl with bleach blonde hair that had a light blue streak on one side and brushed her shoulders and burnt honey eyes rounded into the room, saying, "I was worried about you being in the rain! I'm glad I made you take the umbrella."

The woman didn't seem to notice Ryooshi cowering behind Toboe until she pulled him toward her for a hug. Ryooshi backed away a step when the woman stood away from Toboe with a frown.

"Who's your friend?" she wondered, sincerely.

"This is Ryooshi," Toboe grinned, stepping toward the latter mentioned and placing an around her shoulders. "She's a wolf, like me!"

"Is that right?" the woman smiled, then stepped toward Ryooshi and placed a hand on her head to ruffle her hair. "I'm Liona. Pleased to meet you."

"Y-Yeah," Ryooshi nodded slightly when she pulled her hand away. "Nice to meet you too."

"And what's _this_?" Liona smiled a bit more widely as she reached for the bundle in Ryooshi's arms. "You brought _another_ friend with you, Toboe?"

"He was just sitting in a box in the rain," Toboe reported, lowering his arm from around Ryooshi. "I felt bad just leaving him there."

"Well, looks like it's _four_ for dinner tonight," Liona grinned, rocking the still sleeping kitten in her arms then looking up at Ryooshi. "You're staying for dinner, right?"

"W-Well," Ryooshi sputtered, nervously making Toboe frown at her in confusion. She was so lively before, what had changed? "I…I wouldn't want to impose…"

"Nonsense!" Liona chirped, waving it off. "Toboe and I hardly ever have company!"

"I really just came here to stay out of the rain," Ryooshi replied. "You don't have to feed me."

"And have you go hungry?! Not on my watch, young missy!" Liona wagged a finger at her then turned to Toboe, handing him the kitten, gently and saying, "Alright, Young Pup. You put him on my bed. I'll warm up some milk for him before dinner. In the meantime, you find something for him to sleep in. Ryooshi can help you out."

"Ok," Toboe nodded and jerked his head to the hallway as he looked at Ryooshi. She glanced at Liona as she hurried toward the kitchen across the living room but followed Toboe into the hall. He waited for her to catch up as they entered and asked, "Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous," she lied and he saw through it as she glanced around the hall.

"Haven't you been around humans before?" he wondered as he turned into a room where the door had been left open.

"Well, yeah," she replied as she followed him. "But it's been a while since I've been around any that knew I was a wolf, and even then…"

She trailed off just as Toboe set the kitten on the bed in the room they'd gone into and he frowned, turning to her and asking, "Even then, what?"

Ryooshi jumped with a start at that question, but instead of answering she looked away, blushing in embarrassment then muttered, "Nothing."

"You can trust me," Toboe assuring her with a warm smile, suddenly in front of her and taking her hands into his. "I won't tell Liona if you don't want me to."

"N-No, it's nothing," she insisted, shaking her head and pulling her hands away from his grip with a blush. "Really, it's nothing. Just something silly that happened a long time ago. Shouldn't we find a bed for the kitten?"

Toboe looked at her in evaluation as she only smiled at him. Well, it seemed she was back to her usual and apparent happiness, but something unsettled her, he could tell. But, instead of pressing the matter he smiled back with a nod in agreement to find something to make a bed out of for the kitten. He started into the hall again and toward a door on the opposite side the room was on.

"So, have you figured out a name for the kitten yet?" Ryooshi wondered as he opened the door and rummaged through the shelves of pillows, sheets and towels.

"Not yet," he replied, not looking away from his task. "What do you think?"

"About what?" she wondered, watching him stoop to rummage through another shelf.

"A name," he chuckled.

"Oh!" Ryooshi chirped then shrugged, "I don't know. He's _your_ kitten."

Toboe suddenly gave a shout of surprise and toppled back from stooping, making Ryooshi jump in surprise then giggle as he sat up and shook the rattling from his head.

"What happened?" she giggled as he crawled toward the place he'd been rummaging through.

"There's a pillow in here that would make a perfect bed for him, but I can't get it out!" he replied, shoving his hand into the piles of sheets and pillows. "Sissy wasn't very organized when she put all this stuff in here."

"Do you need help?" Ryooshi giggled, kneeling next to him and he gave her a comical glare that she was giggling at him.

"I can get it," he mumbled. "Thanks."

Toboe struggled through the sheets and pillows stuffed in the shelf as Ryooshi tried stifling back giggles and snickers at the faces he made in his fight until he toppled back again from finally yanking out the pillow he had a grip on. Ryooshi laughed heartily and Toboe only glare at her comically.

"I'm sorry," she giggled. "You just looked so funny!"

He couldn't help but start giggling himself, imagining what he looked like and definitely agreeing that he probably did look funny toppling over after his one on one battle with a linen closet.

"Well, you two seem to be getting along just fine," Liona grinned from the end of the hall, making the two wolves jump to their feet and turn to her. "You two would make such a cute couple."

"Sissy!" Toboe squeaked as he and Ryooshi blushed in embarrassment and the woman headed toward them with a bottle of milk in her hand.

"I'm not playing matchmaker, of course," she insisted, handing the bottle to Ryooshi. "I'm just making an observation." She winked at Ryooshi, who still blushed then turned to Toboe saying, "Come help me in the kitchen, Pup. I need a taster."

"Alright," he sighed and was about to follow Liona down the hall and into the kitchen when he stopped to turn to Ryooshi and ask, "Are you gonna be ok with the kitten?"

"Uh…yeah," she nodded, definitely. "I think so. He's only asleep now." She took the pillow from Toboe's hand and grinned, "I'll just lay him on this pillow and feed him when he wakes up."

Toboe smiled, warmly and nodded then hurried down the hall to follow Liona as she stirred something in a huge pot cooking on the stove.

"Come taste this meat sauce I'm making to you and Ryooshi," she beckoned and he nearly bounded toward her to have a taste. Liona took a separate spoon and took some of the sauce into it to let Toboe have a taste which he took, happily.

"That's great, Sissy," he grinned, licking his lips to take any excess sauce off his lips.

"Good," Liona smiled, setting the spoon he'd licked on the counter and using the spoon she'd been stirring with to continue stirring. "So…Ryooshi seems like a nice girl. Or should I call her a she-wolf?"

Toboe frowned at Liona but replied, "You can say girl. And yeah, she is a nice girl."

Liona nodded, silently as she continued stirring the sauce in the pot but Toboe looked at her in examination for a moment before she replied, "She'd pretty, too. And you two seem to have a lot in common."

"Yeah," Toboe drawled out, suspiciously.

"She's not seeing anybody, is she?" Liona wondered, taking a taste from the spoon she stirred with and looking at Toboe with wide, 'innocent' eyes.

"I didn't ask," he replied. "And even if I did, and she wasn't, that's not why I invited her here. I didn't want her to be in the rain."

"Alright," Liona shrugged, turning back to stirring. "Just a thought."

"I know," Toboe mumbled but looked away from her to stare into space, suddenly consumed in thought. Liona frowned at his silence and nudged him gently to get his attention, making him turn wide, amber eyes filled with wonder at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked and his eyes shrunk down as he sighed.

"Ryooshi isn't the only wolf I saw today," he replied, sitting himself on the floor at her feet.

"Really?" Liona wondered in interest. "How many others? Were any of them your friends from before?"

"_All_ of them were, actually," he muttered and Liona looked down at him with wide eyes.

"_All_ of them?!" she squeaked, and Toboe nodded. "Did any of them recognize you?"

"I didn't really talk to Kiba or Blue," he replied. "I just saw them in a diner. Cheza was with Kiba. But I talked to Hige and he didn't remember me. He just seemed irritated that I was standing in front of him and looking at him. I actually bumped into Tsume…"

Liona frowned when he trailed off but said nothing as she looked at him. He looked lost in thought and sorrow, and when he finally gave a sigh of disappointment he continued.

"He asked if we'd met before, but I knew he wouldn't believe me if I said we did and he just didn't remember," he continued. "He would've laughed at me."

"You don't know that, Toboe," Liona replied, shutting the heat off on the sauce. "He might have believed you if _he_ was the one that asked if you'd met."

"But, if _he_ didn't remember me, then maybe the others won't," Toboe theorized. "Maybe _I'm_ the only one who remembers. Maybe even Cheza doesn't remember?"

"You said that Cheza was with Kiba?" Liona remembered and Toboe nodded. "Then _they_ must remember if Cheza was with him. Think about it, Pup. Why would Cheza be with Kiba if neither one of them remembered?"

Toboe _did_ think about it. He thought for as long as it took for Liona to place the sauce on a low burner on the stove she was cooking on and start stirring at another pot filled with meatballs.

She had a point, he thought. If Kiba and Cheza didn't remember, why would Cheza be with Kiba in the diner? Unless Kiba had been attracted to her by her scent again, but he himself didn't have an urge to find paradise just yet, so why would Kiba be seeking her out? The more he thought about it, the more questions came up, and the more he thought about _those_, the more it gave him a headache.

"Smells good, Miss Liona," Ryooshi suddenly smiled from behind Toboe and he started from his thoughts, whirling around to see her.

"Thank you, Ryooshi," Kiona smiled. "And please, just call me Liona, ok?"

"Ok," Ryooshi nodded and looked down at Toboe who stared at her with wide eyes but she only reported, "The kitten's awake. He was asking for you."

"Oh, ok," Toboe nodded and stood to walk down the hall, Ryooshi following.

"Dinner's almost ready!" Liona called after them.

"Ok!" Toboe called back, still heading down the hall, but when they reached Liona's room, Ryooshi gripped Toboe's arm and stopped him, making him look at her with a frown on confusion and ask, "What's wrong?"

"The kitten really isn't awake," she confessed, quickly. "I heard you talking about your friends. I wanted to ask you about one of them."

"W-Well…" Toboe tried, looking away from her and pulling his hand away to rub the back of his neck, nervously. "Well, see, they _were_ me friends…It's really a long story."

"I won't make you tell it," she assured him, making him frown again as he looked back at her. "You sounded kinda depressed when you were talking about it. I just wanted to ask you…about Tsume."

"Ts-Tsume?" Toboe sputtered, his heart clenching at the thought of his friend and his reaction to seeing him again. "W-What about him?"

Ryooshi stared at him for a moment then shook her head, casting her eyes down in embarrassment and mumbling, "Never mind. I can tell, you don't wanna talk about it. Forget I even said anything."

"No," Toboe replied, gently. "It's ok, really. What did you wanna know?"

She fidgeted on her feet for a moment, a slight blush forming on her cheeks before she finally sputtered, "W-Well…I guess I just wanted to know…what he's like. When I talked to him he was kind of mean, but if _you_ were friends with him, he can't be _all_ mean, right?"

"Oh," Toboe replied, widely and smiled as he continued, "Yeah, he was kinda mean to me at first, but he's a good guy. He acts tough, but he wouldn't think twice before helping somebody out if they were in trouble. He helped me out more times than I can count."

"Wow," Ryooshi breathed, her jade eyes wide in amazement then she muttered, "He doesn't seem like that. He just _left_ me out in the rain."

"Well, like I said, he doesn't come off that way at first," Toboe shrugged and Ryooshi nodded.

"Well, thanks for filling me in," she grinned and slid her arms around his chest to hug him, making him blush a bit. "And thanks for letting me stay here until the rain let's up."

"Y-You're welcome," was all he could muster, his heart pounding in his chest. He'd never had a she-wolf so close to him like this. It made him so nervous, he didn't know whether to just stand there or hug her back. He was relieved of the decision when she pulled away and smiled at him.

"Dinner!" Liona called and Toboe snickered as he saw Ryooshi's eyes light up at that word.

She bounded down the hall with Toboe right behind her to meet Liona in the kitchen holding two steaming bowls of meatballs drenched in meat sauce. She grinned at the two as she set the bowls down pm the table and the two wolves sat themselves in chairs in front of the bowls as Liona brought her own bowl of spaghetti and meatballs for herself.

"Dig in, Pups," she grinned, starting at her own food, and the other two certainly _did_ dig into their food. Ryooshi especially made a mess, as she had been the hungriest, but Liona didn't seem to mind the mess. Living with Toboe she had come to expect it.

After dinner, and after Toboe and Ryooshi cleaned up most of the sauce they'd splattered over the table and floor, Liona wiped down the table of wolf drool and access sauce and Toboe hurried to check on the kitten, bringing it back with him into the living room.

"Look who woke up," he smiled, holding the kitten in his arms and feeding him from the bottle as Liona built up a fire in the fireplace.

"Oh! Let me see him!" Liona pleaded, hurrying toward him. She took the kitten in her arms, the bottle in her hand and continued feeding it as Toboe sat with Ryooshi I front of the fire.

"What should we name him, Sissy?" Toboe wondered Liona sat in a recliner in front of the fire.

"How about Cutie?" she grinned, still looking at the kitten and Toboe rolled his eyes.

"He'd be teased by all the other cats in the city if we name him that," he retorted and Ryooshi gave a giggle as Liona sent a comical glare at him.

"Well, what do _you_ suggest, Young Pup?" she replied and Toboe shrugged then turned to Ryooshi.

"Why don't _you_ suggest something?" he asked her and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"But…he's _yours_," she reminded him.

"That doesn't mean you can't suggest something," Liona chimed in and Ryooshi sighed, realizing she wasn't getting out of thinking today.

She suddenly suggested, "Why not 'Ame' since we found him on a rainy day?"

"I love it!" Liona grinned and looked down at the little kitten to murmur, "Ame. It fits!"

"See?" Toboe smiled warmly at Ryooshi. "Was that so hard?"

"Hardest thing I've ever done in my life," Ryooshi retorted, making him chuckle at her.

"Well, Pups, I'm gonna head to my room and read before going to sleep," Liona said, standing with the kitten in her arms then told Ryooshi, "Toboe usually sleeps out here in front of the fire on cold nights. He'd usually sleep in my room, but it gets too cold in there. You don't mind sleeping out here, do you?"

Ryooshi listened intently to see if the rain outside had let up. She didn't want to impose on her new friends any more than she had to. The rain still went on outside and she turned back to Liona and smiled, "No, I don't mind."

"Alright then," Liona smiled, heading toward the hall. "Good night, you two."

"Good night," Toboe grinned and Liona ruffled his hair before passing, making him giggle. The two wolves found spots in front of the fire and Toboe couldn't help but ask Ryooshi, "How come you wanted to know about Tsume?"

She shot a wide eyed gaze at him, a blush over her cheeks as he only waited for her response. She stared at him for a moment, trying to think of a good answer then finally replied, "C-Curiosity. He…interests me."

"Oh, I see," Toboe nodded widely and Ryooshi sat up a little straighter, her eyes going a little wider as he gave her a sideways glance and guessed, "You mean he _attracts_ you, right?"

"That-That's not what I said!" Ryooshi squeaked and Toboe giggled at the deep blush over her cheeks.

"No, but that's what you meant, right?" he smirked and Ryooshi stared at him in disbelief.

"I---! You---! That---! No!" she sputtered and Toboe burst into laughter, but she only pouted and laid down on her stomach and set her chin on her hands in front of her.

"It's ok," he assured her. "I can see how a lot of girls would be attracted to him. He's that bad boy you girls like."

Ryooshi dared not say anything, but instead stared into the fire and Toboe glanced at her as he mirrored her position to sleep as well.

"Your secrets safe with me, Ryooshi," he murmured and she glanced at him to find him staring at her in his wolf form and she smiled back, letting her guard down as well.

"Thanks, Toboe," she replied, and he nodded, setting his head down on his paws and closing his eyes.

Ryooshi turned to stare into the fire, unable to sleep and hearing the rain start to die down. If she had to stay up all night to wait for the rain to stop so she could leave, she would. She kept her wolf eyes on the fire, suddenly remembering a scene she'd witnessed and been apart of long ago. Wolf howls filled her ears, yet there were none howling tonight. Growls commenced soon after the howling was over. She saw, in her minds eyes, a fight to the death between to of her kind: Herself and another wolf.

"_Finish it off!" the human behind her shouted as she stood in her wolf form in front of him, her legs shaking as she heaved for breath. The wolf in front of her was lying on its side and barely alive._

"_What are you waiting for you stupid mutt!" the human shouted and came up behind her to kick her rump, making her yelp and leap forward toward the dying wolf. She stood above it and bared her teeth in a growl, ready to strike._

"_You betray your own kind?" the weak wolf in front of her wondered just as weak sounding, making her straighten and cover her fangs. "You hunt us down...and kill us? For what? Food and shelter from humans who treat you like you're nothing but a killing machine?"_

"_I'm doing what I can to survive!" she snarled back, baring her teeth again in anger at the dying wolf. "I have to __live__, don't I?!"_

"_Then live," the weak wolf replied, tauntingly. "Live without pride and dignity. Live with the guilt that will consume you for the rest of the days, and the knowledge that all wolves who may survive your hunting and slaughtering of them will hate you and expose you if you try to hide. Live as the one hated. Your name suits you well, Huntress."_

"_Shut up!" Ryooshi snarled and bit down on the wolf's neck, snapping it._

She heard again and again that snapping of bone in her mind, and she _did_ feel guilt whenever a memory from her past played over in her mind. Humans had treated her like garbage, and she knew her own kind hated her. She was born alone, she would die alone, and she would stay alone throughout her miserable life. What pack would except her once they found out what she'd done, even if it _was_ years ago? Even Toboe, if he found out, would hate her. She couldn't risk it.

That was the reason, when she heard no more pitter patter of rain drops falling against the roof and porch of the apartment, she stood, glancing at Toboe to make sure he didn't wake up, and headed toward the doggy door in the front door, slipping out quietly. She glanced behind, standing tall in her human form, at the door with sad eyes then leaned on the door with one hand.

"I'm sorry, Toboe," she murmured. "I don't belong here, or anywhere else for that matter. If you knew my past, you'd understand and want me gone. Thank you for all you've done."

She lowered her hand and hurried down the stairs, but remained careful not to slip on them, because they were still wet from the rain. She had no idea where she was going, but she decided she didn't care. Shoving her hands into her pockets she headed down the streets, not noticing a few figures lurking around her in the alley she turned into.

"Hey there, cutie," a low, menacing voice came from in front of her and she stopped to look up at a man with an evil grin over his mouth.

"Aren't you a pretty thing?" another man agreed, stepping out of the shadows beside her. She turned to run behind her but another gruff man came out of the shadows and stood behind her.

"Going so soon?" he shrugged at her and she backed against the only wall they left her on the other side of her as they closed in on her. Trapped. She hated being trapped. She never did well in corners. She always ended up over-doing it.

"How about we show you a good time, little cutie?" one of the men wondered, closing in on her.

"How about you shove it up your ass?" she retorted and all the men made surprised noises.

"We got ourselves a feisty one, boys," one of the men reported and Ryooshi only smirked.

"Oh, I'm _more_ then feisty," she corrected. "I'm your worst nightmare."

She wasted no time in pouncing onto the man in front of her and sinking her teeth into his shoulder, making him cry out in pain.

"What the hell is she?!" one of his buddies shouted in astonishment as she had let her guard down and was standing on the man in her wolf form.

"She's a witch or some kind of magic transformer shit like that!" the other man replied as their friend cried out in pain. "Let's get outta here!"

She didn't care that the other men ran away as she let go of the man's shoulder she'd been holding onto then sank her teeth into his arm when he raised it, making him cry out in pain again. She didn't notice another figure come up behind her and lift something it was holding toward her. She definitely felt the pain of the thing landing onto her head and felt her head become light as she loosened her death grip on the man's arm and fell off of him, unconscious.

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**A/N:** ooh, a little of Ryooshi's past. actually more than a little. yeah, yeah, i left it at a cliffhanger, i'm horrible. so sue me! it keeps you reading, right? thats what we want! LOL By the way, 'Ame' is Japanese for Rain. reviews?


	8. Second Chance Meeting

**A/N:** been on the edge of your seat since the last update? lol! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 8: Second Chance Meeting**_

Ryooshi groaned and stirred, groaning again when her head throbbed in pain from being hit upside it with something hard. What it was, she wasn't sure, but she was sure it had been _hard_. She groaned, sitting up and touching the back of her head in pain to check for blood. She looked up and tried to figure out where she was.

Bars stood in front of her, and a low roof sat above her head, just high enough to allow her to sit up. She didn't have to think long and hard on it to realize she had been caged. Panicking, she moved toward the bars and tried to let herself out by bending the bars with her teeth. She growled in pain and backed away. That was not a skill she'd honed, unfortunately.

She jumped and stared wide eyes outside the bars when she heard shouting outside the room her cage was in, the door to this room wide open. She saw a young boy run across the door and felt her heart race with hope as she leaned against the bars.

"Hey, kid!" she called, hoping he hadn't gotten too far away to hear her. She sighed in relief when she noticed the boy come back, look around and duck into the room just as some security guards ran past the door as well but didn't look inside the door. Ryooshi examined the boy with died turquoise hair and amber eyes as he approached. Definitely human, and probably not where he was supposed to be, but at the moment, he was her only hope.

"What are you doing in a cage?" he wondered at her as he stopped in front of her with a frown.

"Never mind that," she dismissed. "Can you get me outta here?"

"I can pick the lock," he suggested, rummaging into his pockets for something.

"That's great," Ryooshi commended, her face alight that she was being helped. "Do that."

It didn't take the boy but five seconds to pick the padlock on the cage door and fling it open. Ryooshi stepped out just in time for the boy to grab her hand and bolt toward the door.

"We have to hurry!" he explained. "I still have a job to do!"

"A job?" she echoed as he dragged her through the hall and whizzed past men and women in lab coats toward the back exit of the building.

"Just stick with me," he told her. "I'll get you outta here!"

They reached the back exit and the boy stopped beside the door to flip open the small panel on the wall, flipped some switches and the lights in the building all went off.

"What are you---?!"

"Hurry up!" the boy interrupted, grabbing her hand and dragging her out the door behind him. "We still have to meet them out front while the guards all head to the back!"

"What's going on?!" Ryooshi snapped, having enough of being confused as the nameless boy still dragged her behind him and into the night toward the front entrance now. "Who the hell are you and what was all _that_ about?!"

"My name's Timothy!" he replied. "I'm helping my gang pull a job!"

"Thieves!" Ryooshi snapped as they stopped and she yanked her hand out of his, making him turn wide eyes at her. "I should have known! I'm not gonna have _anything_ to do with thievery!"

"What the hell are you doing, Timothy?!"

Ryooshi froze when she heard the voice snarl from behind her, her heart skipping a beat as she turned around to see the very person she'd knew that voice had belonged to running toward them, a box of valuables in his arms. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared wide, jade eyes at Ryooshi in disbelief.

"You!" he nearly breathed as she stared back at him, her eyes just as wide.

"Tsume…" she murmured back, but the moment of awe and disbelief was cut short when a shot rang out behind him, making them both jump.

"Dammit! Tsume! We gotta get outta here!" one of his men called, running past him as more shots rang out behind them and Ryooshi froze. They were shooting. The humans were shooting at herself and Tsume: wolves.

"Let's go!" Tsume snarled at all of them as he shot off after his gang that started passing him up, Timothy not even bothering with Ryooshi anymore, he was so scared. Tsume took a few steps but stopped when he noticed she wasn't following. He turned to see her frozen in her spot and staring at the men shooting at them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he snarled, hurrying toward her again and grabbing her arm, shaking her from her trance. "Get your tail moving, mutt!"

Tsume dragged her behind him, his box still in one arm, her wrist in the other. She stumbled behind him, feeling her heart thud against her chest with every report of the guns behind her that she heard. She felt her hand slip from his grip and lost her balance, but before she fell, another shot rang out, followed by her howling in pain. Tsume whipped around to see Ryooshi fallen to the ground, trying to stand again on a leg that was dripping blood.

"Go!" she shouted, waving him off and trying to limp away from the nearing shooters heading toward them.

Instead of obeying her, Tsume hurried toward her, shoved the box into her hands and swept her off her feet as she yelped in surprise and threw and arm around his neck, the other hand holding the box in her lap. She held onto him for dear life and buried her face into his shoulder as he ran after his gang to a jeep waiting to take them and their goods back to their hide-out.

"Hurry, Tsume!" Timothy called, already in the car with the rest of his men and Tsume nearly threw Ryooshi into the back seat before jumping in himself.

"Go!" he shouted to the man in the driver's seat and he slammed on the gas, speeding them down the street as they listened to the shouting of the men behind them drift into the distance. Once he was sure they were safe he leaned over and slapped Timothy upside the head, hard, making the boy jump and rub his head with a wince.

"Ow!" he whined, turning to Tsume. "What was that for?!"

"For risking the job by rescuing _her_!" Tsume growled, pointing at Ryooshi who looked up at him with wide eyes as he turned to her to snarl, "what the hell were you doing there?!"

She couldn't find her voice for a moment as she stared into his fiery jade eyes then finally sputtered out, "I-I was kidnapped. Somebody knocked me out and took me there."

"Why?" Tsume snapped back, yanking the box of valuables from her again.

"How should _I_ know?" she retorted, a little braver. "I didn't have time to ask!" She watched as he began rummaging through the bow he now held and frowned in wonder as she asked, "What are you looking for?"

He didn't answer as he pulled out a pair of pliers and a roll of bandages, making her eyes widen in panic.

"Tsume, what the hell are you doing?" one of his men sitting on the other side of Ryooshi asked for her. He still didn't answer as he reached over with the box, shoved it into the man's hand then pulled Ryooshi's wounded leg onto his knees, pliers and bandages in hand as Ryooshi gave another yelp of pain.

"Hold still," he muttered and Ryooshi's eyes popped in disbelief when he brought the pliers to her leg. She growled in pain, one hand shooting to Tsume's shoulder for something to hold onto through the pain and as he worked to get the bullet from her leg, she dug her nails into his shoulder, making _him_ growl in pain.

"Get your paw off my shoulder!" he snapped, jerking his shoulder free from her grasp as soon as he'd gotten the bullet out.

"Well, what _else_ was there to hold onto?!" Ryooshi snapped back and they stared each other down for a moment before Tsume turned to take the bandages in his now bloody hands and started wrapping the wound in her leg. She couldn't help but stare at him in awe as he wrapped the gauze around her leg.

This had been the same man who left her out in the rain just that morning, wasn't it? Why had he helped her when she'd been shot? Why was he helping her now by bandaging her wound? She remembered Toboe telling her that he was actually a good guy. That he would help anybody who was in a pinch without a second thought. But if that was true, why the tough guy act? Why try to push people away if he wouldn't think twice before helping them?

"What are you staring at, mutt?"

She was jolted from her thoughts by his voice and she immediately scowled at him at hearing the words.

"I'm not a mutt," she snapped back as he knotted the bandage. "I'm---" She cut herself off, remembering what kind of company she was in then looked back at him to say, "I'm full."

"Oh, you're full of it, alright," Tsume retorted making her shoot a glare at him as the man next to her snickered.

"Shut up!" they both snarled at him and he jumped with a start and shot his gaze ahead as Ryooshi turned back to Tsume when he sat up from her leg on his knees.

"There, you're bandaged," he muttered. "Now get your leg off of me and get ready to get out."

"But, Tsume---"

"Shut it, boy," he snapped at Timothy who was about to protest for Ryooshi who was staring at Tsume in disbelief. "We don't have time to care for a sick mutt. As it is I'm thinking of getting rid of _you_ for endangering the job!"

"It wasn't his fault!" Ryooshi argued quickly, drawing Tsume's attention to her. "I saw him running by and called him over to help me. Don't blame him!"

"He shouldn't have stopped for you," he argued. "He's not getting out of it either way."

"If you were gonna be such a jerk, why'd you bother helping me out back there?!" Ryooshi snapped back and his men looked at him in a bit of surprise as well.

They hadn't wanted to bring it up themselves, but they were curious to see what his reason was. Tsume glanced around at his men then looked back at Ryooshi who had set her jaw in anger and was staring at him with fiery eyes.

"Well," he shrugged, coming up with a reasonable answer as he sat back in his seat and looked away from her, "I couldn't have you IDing me and my gang for the theft, could I?"

"You could have killed me if that were the case," Ryooshi retorted and Tsume felt a very distinct skip of his heart at the tone in her voice. She was digging for something. "Instead you helped me from being killed and bandaged my leg for me. If you were _truly_ the jerk you pretend to be, you would've just left me there to die or killed me yourself."

Tsume glanced around at his men again and felt himself inwardly panic as they seemed to agree with her and waited for his answer to that. He couldn't let these humans think he was soft. He'd lose control and have nowhere to go once they got rid of him. He _knew_ they would get rid of him as soon as they had the chance. They all hated him.

He turned back to Ryooshi who only stared at him expectantly, waiting for his answer and without saying a word, while the car was still rumbling down the street, he opened his door and tried shoving her out. She gave a yelp of surprise and kept herself from falling out of the car by bracing herself against the frame with her hands and feet.

"Boss!" Timothy shouted, trying to climb from his seat and toward the two. "What are you doing?!"

"Get outta the car, mutt!" he snarled, but Ryooshi still braced herself against the door frame.

"I don't have anywhere to go!" she struggled against his hands pushing against her back.

"How's that _my_ problem?!" Tsume retorted and that was the last straw for Ryooshi. She shoved back as hard as she could against him until his hands gave way and she flopped back into his lap just as the car hit a bump and the door swung shut. She looked up at him, her head on his thighs as he looked down at her in shock and she crossed her arms over her chest with a triumphant smirk, lifting her legs to cross her ankles and lean her heels against the door frame.

"You saved my life back there," she smirked. "I'm indebted to you. And I'm not leaving your side until that debt is repaid."

Tsume stared at her with wide eyes filled with disbelief, only blinking out of astonishment as she only smirked confidently at him. So _that_ was how she was going to get him to keep her around. She was going to play the 'debt' card. Realizing she wasn't going to give up, he groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly before giving his reluctant answer.

"Alright," he grumbled, and Ryooshi's eyes lit up as she sat up, ignoring the pain in her leg, but he barked, "But you'll keep your mouth shut until we get to our place! We'll talk there, got it?"

Ryooshi opened her mouth to reply with a simple yes but quickly closed it and opted for nodding. Tsume gave a quick nod of approval and sat back again, crossing his arms over his chest as his gang looked back at him for a moment before turning to sit properly as well.

The ride back to the shack the gang had come from was silent. Not even any of Tsume's men talked, and as they all sat in the car, he couldn't help but glance at Ryooshi a few times. He frowned every one in while when he caught her glance around and stick her head out the window then quickly pull it back in with a grin on her face.

He shook his head at her, not being able to help the smirk that spread over his lips. She was such a pup. Though he had to admit, she was a rather _attractive_ looking pup. He quickly shook that thought from his head. No way was he going to let himself think _that_ way about her. She was a little mutt that was just in his way. She didn't belong with him or even _around_ him.

Once the car had stopped and everyone jumped out, Tsume waited for Ryooshi to get out and grabbed her hand to march her around the back of the shack his men where filing into.

He pulled her in front of him and stared at her angrily as she stared back at him in wonder and he growled, "Why the hell do you wanna be around me so damn much?!"

"I told you, I'm indebted to you!" she argued, her own temper flaring.

"Oh, cut the crap, mutt!" Tsume shot back. "I knew from the moment I met you today that something was weird about you! What do you want?!"

"I told you, I'm not a mutt!" Ryooshi argued. "And I answered your other question, too!" She crossed her arms over her chest with a huff and a pout and muttered, "I don't know who Toboe was thinking of, but I'm sure it wasn't you."

Tsume's eyes shot wide at hearing her and he grabbed her arm roughly to pull her attention to him as he questioned, "You talked to Toboe?!"

"Ow!" she growled. "You're hurting me---!"

"Where did you meet him?!" he demanded, ignoring her proclamations of pain and held her tighter when she began struggling.

"I met him after you left!" she replied, still struggling. "He let me wait out the rain at his place with his human! I left when they fell asleep!"

"How does he know me?!" Tsume demanded, pulling her closer when he felt his hand losing grip of her. "How the hell does that runt, who I've never met, know who the hell I am?!"

"I don't know!" Ryooshi replied, still struggling against his bruising grip. "He said you guys were friends a long time ago, but you didn't remember him!"

Tsume's anger shifted into thought as he loosened his grip on Ryooshi's arm and she yanked it away to rub it and stare at him as he thought.

_We were friends_, he repeated to himself, _but I don't remember him? Then how the hell does he remember me?_

He was reminded of that waitress he'd met in the alley earlier that day who he was sure he'd met before, like the others, but he couldn't remember. She'd said maybe they had met in a past life. But why would he remember Toboe so vividly, and even know his name without knowing the runt himself? He snapped himself from his thoughts when he remembered that Ryooshi had said Toboe had let her wait the rain out at his home with his human and he marched close to her, making her jump with a start when he stood directly in front of her.

"You remember where Toboe's place is?" he questioned and she frowned at him in wonder.

"Why?" she asked.

"Do you remember or not?!" Tsume snarled and Ryooshi nodded, still frowning as Tsume nodded and said, "Good. You'll take me to him, then."

"Why?" she asked again. "What do you need to see Toboe for?"

"None of your business," Tsume growled back, but Ryooshi stared back at him, unafraid.

"He's _my_ friend more than he's yours, if you don't even remember him!" she shot back, making him stare at her with wide eyes filled with surprise. "It _is_ my business! You don't scare me, Tsume! You saved my life, so there _has_ to be something under that exterior that doesn't have 'asshole' written all over it! Get over yourself already and answer my question!"

Tsume stared down at her, his eyes still wide as she only stared back at him in anger. She had a point. By asking her to take him to Toboe it made it her business to know why she was doing it. The fact of the matter was he wasn't too sure himself why he was looking for the runt. All he knew for sure was that he knew Toboe somehow, and maybe seeing him, and talking to him would bring it all back…if he was that lucky.

"Well?" Ryooshi prompted, bring him back to reality and he sighed in exhaustion but nodded, making Ryooshi's anger melt away as she watched his face soften, something she'd never seen of him before.

"I don't really know how, but I'm sure I know him," he explained. "Maybe if I see him, it'll all come back to me and I won't be so damned confused anymore about it. _That's_ why I need you to take me to him. Not knowing is driving me nuts."

Ryooshi blinked a few times, stunned that he'd given her a sincere answer. However, her shock melted away and she smiled, warmly as she nodded and replied, "Alright then. I'll take you to him. We'll head back to that diner first. I remember how to get to it from there."

Tsume nodded in approval and glanced around, then walked around her and around the corner of the shack. Ryooshi frowned at him but followed and when she rounded the corner she giggled, giddily as she watched Tsume stand his bike up from leaning on the wall and straddled it to sit.

"Get on and hold on," he told her, placing his feet on the ground to keep the bike from falling as he shoved his helmet onto his head. Ryooshi grinned as she hurried to the bike, straddled it as he was behind him and bounced happily in her seat as he started the engine.

"I've never been on a motorcycle before!" she grinned, talking loudly over the engine.

"Then don't move and hold on tight!" Tsume advised.

Ryooshi frowned but before she could ask why, he revved the engine and sped toward the street, making her throw her arms around his waist to keep herself from falling off the bike. He couldn't help but smirk in amusement when she did this but couldn't help but wonder why his heart had also skipped a beat when her arms threw themselves around him as they sped back to the diner where they had met.

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**A/N:** ok, ok, you caught me. It's Tsume/OC. lol! not mushy...yet. lol. oh, hell, it _can't_ be mushy with Tsume in the pairing, right? He's not mushy. he's fluffy. lol! alright, back to business. reviews?


	9. Strategy

**A/N:** next chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 9: Strategy**_

"Toboe! Wait up!" Liona shouted to the wolf as he ran in his canine form down the street of the city. He stopped at the corner next to the diner he'd met Ryooshi and looked at his 'sister' as she ran toward him, panting.

"I'm sorry, Liona," he murmured in his human form. "We _have_ to find Ryooshi!"

"What makes you think she'll come here?" Liona panted, leaning on the wall of the diner to catch her breath.

"This is where we met," Toboe explained. "She'd probably come back here looking for food."

He glanced down the alley but didn't see her, then scanned the area around them as Liona remained silent and let him do his thing. He sniffed the night air, listened intently to anything passing by or anything approaching and scanned everything around him to find her. His mind was reeling.

He kept asking himself why she would leave. Had he done something wrong? Had she been afraid of Liona? There were a million different reasons that were possible, but he knew that unless they found Ryooshi again, he'd never know. He prayed she was alright, and that she hadn't left because of him. He thought he'd finally found a good friend in one of his own kind, and he didn't want to be wrong about her.

He suddenly heard a faint rumbling coming from the alley and whirled around to face it, catching Liona's attention and she straightened to stand next to him and whisper, "What is it."

"I think it's a…" he trailed off for a moment as he heard the rumbling getting louder and closer then breathed, "…motorcycle."

He tried to squint, using the dim street light above them illuminating the alleyway and caught a headlight guiding a silhouette coming toward them at top speed. Realizing how close it was and that it wasn't going to stop he shoved Liona out of the way, propelling himself in the opposite direction and they both hit the ground just as the black motorcycle rumbled out of the alleyway, popping a wheelie as it did then U-turned in the street to face the alley again in the empty street.

Toboe wasted no time in scrambling to his feet and heading toward Liona as she sat herself up and he sat next to her, making sure she was alright before looking up at the motorcycle and the rider on it who had shut off the engine and was removing his helmet. Toboe froze, his heart thudding in his chest as he saw Tsume look over his shoulder with a smirk at his passenger whose hands had yet to let go of his jacket which fisted the material in a death grip.

"Well, your cherry's popped now, mutt," Tsume smirked. "Was it as good for you as it was for me?"

"Shut up," a muffled, yet familiar voice to Toboe and Liona replied. "And I'm not a mutt."

"Ryooshi?" Toboe called and she gasped as she shot her head up from Tsume's back to look over his shoulder as the older wolf on the bike shot his gaze to the young pup as well, all three with wide eyed expressions.

"Toboe!" Ryooshi grinned, scrambling off the back of the bike as Tsume didn't make a move and only stared at Toboe. She ran to Toboe as he and Liona stood up and threw her arms around the pup's neck. "Just the wolf we were looking for."

"We?" Toboe echoed, but didn't have time to ask what she meant before she grabbed his hand and dragged him toward Tsume who was balancing his bike in the middle of the deserted street. The young boy stared at Tsume with wide, panicked eyes and started pulling back against Ryooshi's hand but she only continued pulling him toward Tsume.

"No!" Toboe whispered, harshly. "Ryooshi! No!"

"Don't be such a puppy, Toboe!" Ryooshi grinned as she stopped to pull on his arm then gripped his shoulders to face him toward Tsume.

The young wolf dug his heels into the ground to slow her shoving. Ryooshi looked over her shoulder at Liona and nodded for her help and Liona grinned as widely as Ryooshi was and hurried to help the she-wolf get Toboe over to Tsume as the older wolf frowned at the scene, cocking his head to the side slightly in curiosity. Liona grabbed Toboe's legs and lifted them, making him yelp and glare at his 'sister.'

"Traitor!" Toboe barked at Liona who only giggled, holding his legs as he kicked to get away while Ryooshi gripped him under his arms to carry him. The two girls stopped in front of Tsume and as Toboe caught sight of him again, he froze and the girls set him down then Ryooshi took his hand again and stepped him closer to Tsume.

"Tsume," she smiled cutely, drawing his attention to her for a split second before it went back to Toboe who stared back at him with wide eyes. "This is Toboe. But you already know that, right?"

Toboe shot his wide eyes between Ryooshi and Tsume a few times before he looked at Tsume as Ryooshi dropped his arm and he breathed, "You…know?"

"Well," Tsume muttered but didn't continue.

"So _this_ is Tsume?" Liona wondered, standing next to Toboe and slinging her arm over the young wolf's shoulders, examining the man still on his motorcycle. "He's not quite what I expected."

"What do you mean, Sissy?" Toboe wondered with a frown.

"'Sissy'?" Tsume echoed with a cocked brow, drawing everyone's attention but he continued talking to Toboe, saying, "Don't tell me you're her pet."

Toboe cast his eyes down, remembering how much Tsume despised humans, and probably did now as well.

"Regardless," Liona cut in, lowering her arm from Toboe's shoulder, and remembering what the young wolf had told her of Tsume, "I expected someone a little more…menacing."

"I can be your worst nightmare," Tsume said, lowly. "Believe me, you don't wanna get on my bad side."

"Says the hot guy on the motorcycle," Liona smirked and Tsume's eyes shot wide in disbelief at the human then shot an angry glare at Ryooshi when she giggled.

"What made this guy your friend, Toboe?" Liona went on. "He's the polar opposite of you."

"He saved my life," Toboe mumbled and all eyes shot to him as he looked back to Tsume. "You didn't have to, but you did. You didn't even hesitate."

"I never saved your life, runt," Tsume argued. "I think I would have remembered _that_."

"It was in Freeze City!" Toboe argued back, desperately.

"There's no such city," Ryooshi recalled. "Toboe, are you sure---?"

"It was before all this!" Toboe explained, starting to well up just a bit in frustration. "It was when he came with Kiba and Hige and me to find Paradise!"

Something triggered in Tsume's mind. Paradise. Why did _that_ sound familiar? A chill ran up his spine but he held back from shivering. That word had an ominous feeling with it for him. Like someone was walking over his grave just as Toboe said it.

"You thought I was annoying at first," Toboe continued, jolting Tsume from his thoughts. "You said I pissed you off, and you didn't want anything to do with me. But when I met Leara, and showed her I was a wolf, you saw how scared she was and you got me out of there."

"Where did I save your life, then?" Tsume wondered, half skeptical and half of him truly wanting to find answers to why he knew this kid somehow, but didn't remember.

"It was when we were in front of that laboratory," Toboe explained. I slipped when we were running away on a pipe running way above the ground but you came back and helped me up so we could all escape."

"Well, you can't argue with details like _that_," Ryooshi nodded and Tsume gave her a glare as she looked up at him. "How can you not remember?"

"Just shut it, mutt," he muttered, wanting it quiet so he could think through this. He felt something inside him telling him that Toboe was telling the truth; that he _had_ saved the runt's life. But if it was true, why didn't he remember?

"You must remember _something_," Ryooshi mused and Tsume gave her sideways glare, irritated the she had spoken. "I mean, you knew who Toboe was before I even mentioned him. So it stands to reason that you remember; you just need a little mental nudge to get you to remember fully."

"You knew who I was?" Toboe breathed at Tsume who gave a glare to Ryooshi again before sighing in exhaustion then turned to the young wolf.

"Actually, I knew your name, for whatever reason, but I didn't know who the hell you were or why I knew your name." A thought suddenly occurred to him and he asked, "Who the hell are Kiba and Huge? You mentioned they were headed to Paradise with us."

"I met them in Freeze city, after I met you," Toboe explained. "They were looking for the source of the Lunar Flower scent. They found it, but it disappeared when that Darcia guy took Cheza."

"Whoa, hang on a second," Liona pleaded. "Too much in one breath! Slow down a little, Young pup!"

"Darcia," Tsume echoed, and all eyes turned to him. He looked like he was almost terrified. That same chill ran up his spine and this time he did nothing to hide the shiver. Hearing that name was like hearing the name of death itself, and he couldn't understand why he felt like that.

"Tsume?" Ryooshi called, meekly when he said nothing else and hesitantly placed a hand on his arm. He yanked it from her touch and growled in frustration, suddenly shoving his helmet onto his head.

"I've had enough of this!" he growled, starting the engine on his bike and readying himself to drive off. "Stay away from me! All of you! I don't wanna think about what I can't remember! Whatever it is, it's done and over with! I don't need any of this crap!"

With that he sped down the street, Ryooshi trying to run after him and calling after him, but she stopped a few steps away from Toboe and Liona and they all watched him leave. Toboe hung his head with a sigh and Ryooshi turned to him and Liona slung her arm around his shoulders to pull him in for a comforting hug. Ryooshi ran back toward them and gripped Toboe's arms to get his attention but when he looked up at her, she felt her heart clench in pity as she noticed his eyes turn glassy.

"Don't you worry, Toboe," she told murmured. "We'll get him to remember, and your other friends too! You said you saw Kiba and Hige?"

The young wolf only nodded with a sniffle.

"Where?" she questioned, gently.

"Kiba and Cheza were in the diner," he replied. "Hige was sitting a few feet away from the door."

"And Blue works here," she remembered and her face lit up as she grinned at him. "Don't you see, Toboe?! The diner is the key! They'll all come back here, I'm sure of it. Maybe you all need to be _together_ in order for all of you to get your memory's back?"

"That makes sense," Liona mused, drawing the two wolves' attention. "And if Kiba was with Cheza, he must remember already, so you only have to get Hige, Tsume and Blue to remember somehow."

"But if Tsume doesn't _want_ to remember now," Toboe reminded them. "How can we get him to remember if he doesn't want to?"

"He _wants_ to, Toboe," Ryooshi assured him, snapping his attention back to her. "He's just afraid of what might have happened."

"Tsume's not afraid of anything," Toboe argued, mildly.

"You'd be surprised how scared most of the tough guys are," Ryooshi replied. "But that's beside the point. He _wants_ to remember, and we'll help him remember. Hige and Blue, too. We'll help them _all_ remember."

"But, how are we gonna get them here?" Liona wondered. "It's not we know where any them live, if they even have homes. We can't send written invitation that says 'Meet us here'."

"No," Ryooshi agreed. "But Toboe gave me a great idea."

"Me?" Toboe frowned and Ryooshi nodded.

"You said they were all attracted to the scent of Lunar Flowers, right?" she recalled and Toboe nodded. "Cheza smells like a Lunar Flower, doesn't she?"

"What're you getting at?" Liona wondered, not understanding what Ryooshi was suggesting, but Toboe looked at her in realization.

"Where Cheza is, the rest will be drawn to her, right?" he guessed and Ryooshi grinned with a nod.

"All we have to do is get Cheza here and Hige and Tsume will follow," she planned. "Blue will already be here since she works here, and since you saw Kiba with her he must be taking care of her, right?"

"You really think this'll work?" Liona wondered. "I mean, who knows where Tsume just went and Hige and Kiba could have gone anywhere. Even if we find Kiba and Cheza, how are we gonna get the others to catch her scent?"

"Hige's got a hyper sensitive nose," Toboe explained. "He'll catch her scent from miles away."

"And Tsume didn't go that far," Ryooshi chimed in. "His hide-out is just outside the city. He'll catch her scent."

"Well, how exactly are we gonna find Kiba and Cheza, then?" Liona wondered.

"Don't you know?" Ryooshi smiled, tapping her nose then tapping Toboe's. "We've got the noses for it!"

"I remember Cheza's scent as if it were my own," Toboe smiled, nostalgically. "I could pick her out of a garden full of flowers."

"That's the spirit!" Ryooshi grinned, patting the runt's back. "Let's get going then!"

Suddenly in their wolf forms, Ryooshi and Toboe darted down the street and Liona shot off after them calling, "Hey! Wait for me, you two! I don't run that fast! Slow down!"

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**A/N:** Alright! we're on an adventure! lets get these wolves their memories back! reviews?


	10. Believe

**A/N:** next chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 10: Believe**_

"Catch it yet, Toboe?" Ryooshi asked as the other young wolf sniffed at the cement in the early morning light.

"No," he sighed, standing tall, both in their wolf forms, Liona standing between them. "Anything in the air?"

"Nothing," Ryooshi replied.

"You sure they came this way?" Liona frowned in uncertainty as she glanced down the grimy street. "This isn't really the best part of town. Why would Kiba bring Cheza here?"

"Maybe he lives here," Ryooshi replied, but remained in her wolf form as Toboe sniffed at the cement again.

"Yesterday's rain didn't help," Toboe complained. "I lost the scent."

"Me too," Ryooshi reported. "We should probably ask around now."

"Yeah, because everyone's looking for a kid with a girl in pink, right?" Liona retorted as the two wolves appeared in their human forms.

"What's up with her?" Ryooshi asked Toboe, jerking her head at the woman who huffed, crossing her arms over her chest with a slight curl of her lip.

"She gets crabby when she's hungry," Toboe whispered to the other wolf and Ryooshi nodded in understanding.

"Well, we're bound to run into a place here," she shrugged as they began walking down the street. "Even if it _is_ a shadier part of town."

"You look like you're lost."

The three jumped and spun around to stare wide eyes at a stranger in a baggy jacket, the hood over his head, almost covering his whole face.

"You three aren't from around here, are you?" he asked again. Toboe and Ryooshi stepped closer to Liona who stared at the creepy man with wide eyes.

"We were looking for someone who might have come this way," Ryooshi explained. "He's a little taller then my blonde friend here, with black hair and blue eyes."

"He might have had a girl with him in a pink rain coat and matching rain boots," Toboe added, remembering what he'd seen Cheza wearing in the diner when he'd passed it.

"You seen 'em?" Ryooshi asked.

"What if I did?" the stranger wondered, tauntingly. "What would I get out of telling you where they went if I saw 'em?"

"We don't have money, if that's what you mean," Ryooshi retorted. "You'd be leaving with your life if you tell us."

"And what would a cute little thing like you do to _me_, huh?" the hooded stranger asked, strolling toward Ryooshi. Toboe gently moved Liona behind him and was ready to leap forward to protect Ryooshi but when she didn't move he realized she would take care of it herself.

"Oh, I could do some damage," Ryooshi retorted. "I'd stop right there and take my word for it if I were you."

"You're _not_ me," the man replied. "I think you're gonna be lots of fun."

Ryooshi let out a growl, baring her teeth a little to show that they were fangs and very capable of ripping through flesh if necessary. The man didn't even falter in his steps as he gave a smirk under his hood.

"I like a girl with bite," he grinned evilly.

"Then you'll _really_ love me," Ryooshi retorted, and didn't hesitate to leap at the threat coming toward herself her friends and grabbed hold of the man's arm in her fangs, biting down hard.

The man screamed in pain as Ryooshi chewed on his arm and Toboe and Liona stared on at the scene in horror. They soon found themselves surrounded by men in hoods that they assumed were the man's friends, and they were running at Ryooshi to pull her off.

"Liona! Get out of here!" Toboe shouted, shoving her out of a gap in the crowd circle of men and she ducked into an alley.

A few of the men were about to go after her but the other man being attacked by Ryooshi screamed bloody murder again and they turned to Toboe. A few guys took swings at him but he ducked and dodged them expertly. He jumped high into the air and took down a few of the men before the others could blink. Meanwhile, Ryooshi was kicked in the ribs by one of the men, but she gave a growl and still held onto the man's arm in her fangs. She sunk them in a little deeper, making the man scream again.

"Get off of him, you mangy mutt!" one of the men snapped and Ryooshi let go to turn on him but as she was about to clamp down on his arm, which he'd raised to hit her with, a bat hit her in the jaw from another direction, making her yelp and fall to the ground.

"Ryooshi!" Toboe called, desperately and was about to go help her but he stopped when he heard a desperate dry in a familiar voice.

"Toboe!" Liona cried when one of the men was coming toward her in her alley. Toboe leapt toward him and took him down, but a plank of wood caught him in the gut making Liona scream again when he fell to all fours, coughing in pain.

The men crowded around him as Liona knelt down and pulled him toward her to help him, and the other half of the men crowded around Ryooshi as they pulled their wounded friend to his feet and she stood, still in wolf form and growled at them, baring her teeth.

"Finish 'em off," one of them suggested, and they all moved to do so but they heard a snarl from an alley opposite the one Liona was hiding in. They all turned their attention there to see a huge, white animal leap from the dark alleyway and onto one of the men as he shouted with a start.

"Kiba…" Toboe groaned in pain, and Ryooshi's ears parked up at hearing him. She looked back at the white wolf as he leapt from man to man, killing each one he came to. The other men left alive ran in panic and the four watched them until they had disappeared. The white wolf turned to look at Ryooshi, and when he did, she felt herself shiver from being stared at by those intense golden orbs.

"Who are you?" he asked, not changing his form.

"Ryooshi," she replied. "Can't you tell? We met once before."

"The girl outside the diner," he realized out loud.

"Kiba…" Toboe groaned in pain again, disoriented and drawing Kiba's and Ryooshi's attention again. They hurried toward him and Liona in their human forms and knelt down next to them.

"Toboe, are you ok?" Ryooshi breathed in wide-eyed concern.

"I'll be alright," he grumbled, using Liona to help him stand, and they all did the same. He looked up at Kiba who stared back at him with blue eyes now.

"You remember…Toboe?" he asked, hesitantly and Toboe gave a weak smile and a small nod that Kiba returned. "I thought I was the only one who remembered."

"Almost," Toboe replied. "Tsume, Hige and Blue don't remember."

"That's actually what we went looking for you for," Ryooshi chimed in, drawing the older wolf's attention. "We need your help getting them to remember."

"We should get out of sight before the police show up," Kiba suggested and nodded them toward the alley he'd come out of to which the rest obeyed and hurried into the alley. Only when they were a good ways down the alley, but still walking did Kiba ask, "How do you think _I_ can help getting them to remember?"

"It's actually Ryooshi's idea," Toboe explained then looked at her to let her explain.

"I have a theory," she began. "If all of you are together, the ones that lost their memories will start to remember. It's a shot in the dark, to be honest, but it's worth a shot, right?"

"It sounds reasonable enough," Kiba nodded. "But how did you plan to get us all together?"

"Cheza," Toboe replied, drawing Kiba's attention to him. "If they catch her scent, they should be drawn to her, right?"

"Why is it that all I hear is 'if' whenever this plan is being explained?" Liona muttered.

"Because it's not guaranteed to work," Kiba replied. "Cheza told me that everyone's memories will come back in due time, and sometimes not at all. Bringing us all together may work for a few of us, but not all."

"I remember when a lot of people said that about Paradise," Toboe said, catching everyone's attention but he only looked at Kiba as they all stopped in the alley. "A lot of the other wolves said it didn't exist, that it was just a myth. But when you said you were going, I believed it existed because _you_ were so sure it did. You even got _Tsume_ to believe it. Maybe, if you believe the others will get their memories back, they'll remember?"

Kiba stared at Toboe as the young wolf stared back at him, unwilling to back down. It made the older wolf smile as he remembered all too well the journey to Paradise he'd taken with his friends, and how hard it had been, but the pack had stayed together somehow through it all. He _had_ believed. That was the only way he could have gotten as far as he did. He couldn't let his friends down now after what they'd all been through.

"Where are we taking Cheza?" he asked, making Toboe and Ryooshi burst into grins.

"The diner where you were yesterday," Toboe explained. "Blue will be there already. We'll just have to wait for Hige and Tsume."

"Hige will follow the scent, no problem," Liona theorized, remembering what Toboe had told her of his friends. "I have a feeling Tsume won't take the hint."

"You leave Tsume to me, then," Ryooshi suggested, making everyone look at her in wonder. "I'll get him there somehow. Trust me."

"Nobody makes him do what he doesn't _want_ to do, Ryooshi," Toboe warned to which Ryooshi only smirked at him.

"Well, then it's a good thing he _wants_ to remember, isn't it?" she retorted, then placed a hand on the young wolf's shoulder. "He'll come of his own accord, I promise. Once we're sure everyone's there, have them meet in the alley behind the diner so we don't draw too much attention, ok?"

Toboe opened his mouth to object to her getting Tsume, but he quickly closed his mouth again and nodded.

"I'll get Cheza and bring her to the diner," Kiba chimed in and Toboe smiled at him with a nod.

"Thank you, Kiba," he murmured. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who has his memory."

"So am I," Kiba replied with a small smile and turned to go back home and get Cheza.

"We'd better head back then too," Liona suggested. "Toboe and I will wait for you all at the diner."

"Got it," Ryooshi nodded. "I'll get Tsume and meet you guys there too."

"If he doesn't want to come, don't force him," Toboe pleaded and Ryooshi only gave him a warm smile.

"Don't worry, Toboe," she soothed. "He'll want to come, because he wants to remember. All you guys have to do is jog his memory a bit. Tell more stories like the one you told him about him saving your life that time. He knew it was true, I could tell, he just didn't want to admit it."

"That's what I'm worried about," Toboe muttered, but Ryooshi only ruffled his hair with a giggle.

"I'll see you guys there," she smiled and suddenly in her wolf form, she darted out of the alley and around the corner before Toboe could even argue with her anymore.

"Well, let's get going, Young Pup," Liona told him, slinging his arms over his shoulders.

"Do you think this will work, Sissy?" he asked her as they headed down the alley and into the street.

"I thought you believed it would work, pup," she recalled. "Doesn't matter what I think, really. You're all wolves with memory problem and I'm a human. What could my opinion possibly matter to this whole plan?"

"It matters to _me_," Toboe corrected and Liona couldn't help but smile at the young boy.

"I think it'll work out just fine," she replied. "Whether they remember on their own later, or once we get them together, I think you'll all have your memories back, sooner or later."

"Thanks, Sissy," he smiled up at her and she pulled him a little closer as they continued down the street.

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**A/N:** need i say anything? i mean, really? reviews?


	11. Remember

**A/N:** guilty, this title totally reminds me of Josh Groban's song Remember from Troy. It playing in my head the whole time I was writing this chappie! LOL! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 11: Remember**_

Ryooshi ran up to the shack where Tsume and his gang hid and sniffed around for any recent activity. She couldn't hear anything inside, and wondered if she was too late to catch Tsume until she caught a fresh scent of him on the concrete. She trotted toward the back of the shack and peeked around to see his bike leaning against the wall. Now in her human form, she stepped around to the door and knocked, cautiously.

"Dammit, Tim, when are you gonna learn that knock---?!" Tsume growled as he flung the door open, only to find Ryooshi staring up at him with wide eyes. "What do you want, mutt?"

"Would you stop calling me that?!" Ryooshi snapped as he walked back inside toward the fire he'd built and sat. "I'm a full wolf, not some half-breed!"

"Whatever," he muttered then repeated, "What do you want?"

Ryooshi took a deep breath, remembering what she'd gone there for and stepped inside, closing the door behind her and stepping in front of the fire to face him.

"We're gathering all your friends," she explained with a small smile. "Maybe if we get all of you together you'll remember what happened?"

"I told you, I don't have any friends," Tsume replied. "Who exactly would you be gathering?"

"Toboe and I found Kiba and told him to bring Cheza to the diner where Blue works," she went on. "The plan was to get you and Hige there by following Cheza's scent, but we knew you probably wouldn't take the hint, so I came to get you instead."

"You're right," Tsume nodded, sarcastically. "I'm not gonna follow the scent or go with _you_ either, so why don't you go bother someone else, huh?"

"But it'll only work if _all_ of you are there!" Ryooshi replied, desperately.

"You don't know that," Tsume shot back, jumping to his feet and stepping around the fire to stare her down as he continued, "Why do you wanna help us anyway?! You weren't there, were you?!"

"W-Well, I guess not, but---"

"Then what, you have a crush on Toboe and you wanna help him?!"

"No!" Ryooshi cried, blushing only slightly then hurriedly trying to think of an explanation. "It's because I hate seeing Toboe so depressed! Even if the others don't remember, he'd probably be happiest if _you_ remembered, because you were his best friend!"

"Best friends, with that _runt_?!" Tsume laughed. "You're off your nut, mutt."

"Quit calling me that!"

"I'm not going with you, so just get lost, alright?" he reiterated, stepping around the fire again and sitting. Ryooshi stared at him for a moment and sighed, exhausted, but stepped around the fire as well and sat next to him, lulling her head back on the stone they were leaning back on and closing her eyes. Tsume glared at her and snapped, "Why are you still here?"

"I'm not leaving until you come with me," she replied, calmly. "I told Toboe I'd take you to the diner. I'm a wolf of my word. I'm not leaving here without you."

"Then you'll be here all day," he retorted and looked back at the fire as Ryooshi opened an eye to peek at him then closed it again to lift her head and look at him.

"You're afraid of what you'll remember, aren't you?" she guessed, but he didn't respond or move. "For someone like you, I'm sure it won't be all _that_ bad."

"Someone like me?" he echoed, not looking at her but frowning in wonder all the same.

"You _act_ like the Big Bad Wolf, but inside you're all soft and squishy," Ryooshi grinned, cutely. Tsume sneered at her, bringing his knees up to lean his elbows on them, his chin on his wrists as they came toward his chest. "Come on, Tsume. If you won't do it for Toboe, do it for yourself. You wanna know, don't you? Aren't you the least bit curious about your past?"

He didn't reply. The truth was she was right. He _was_ curious, but he was also afraid of what he might find out. What if he'd repeated his mistakes he'd made in the past in _this_ life? He unconsciously brushed a finger against the scar on his chest, and Ryooshi caught the action with a slight frown of wonder. She hadn't noticed that before since he had always had his jacket closed when she was with him.

"How'd you get that scar?" she asked, gently and he snapped his fiery jade gaze at her, making her shrink back slightly.

"None of your business," he shot back and stood to walk toward the far wall and lean against it, his arms crossed over his chest. Ryooshi gave him a sneer, staying where she was and crossing her arms in a huff. They sat in silence as Tsume seriously thought of which choice he should make.

If he went with Ryooshi, he might be opening a huge can of worms by regaining his memory. Then again, it may drive him crazy not knowing those four but at the same time knowing he _should_ know them, for whatever reason. It may drive him crazy…unless he left the city. In that case, it'd be a no-brainer. He'd just leave. But something was telling him he should go with the she-wolf still sitting by the fire. It was that same nagging feeling he'd had when he first bumped into the wolves he should have known.

Glancing at Ryooshi, he realized he wasn't going to be able to shake the feeling, or _her_, for that matter. Besides, if his past was anything similar to his present life, he could always change it somehow, if he wanted to. Pushing off the wall he walked toward the door, catching Ryooshi's attention and she frowned at him before shooting to her feet when he stepped outside. She raced after him as he headed around the shack and toward his bike.

"Where are you going?" she wondered, honestly.

"Where do you think, mutt?" he retorted, straddling his bike and pulling on his helmet. "Hurry up and get on."

Ryooshi grinned and ran toward the bike, jumping over the back wheel and grabbing onto Tsume as her rump hit the seat behind him. He started the engine as she snuggled her cheek against his back, still grinning.

"Toboe's gonna be so happy!" she called over the revving of his engine.

"Whatever," he muttered, but he didn't fail to notice she hadn't stopped snuggling his back, even after they took off at top speed into the road. It made him want to shove her off the back of his bike, but at the same time, he didn't want her to stop.

* * *

"Well, Young Pup," Liona began, crossing her arms over her chest. "We're here. Where are the rest of your friends?"

"They'll be here, Sissy," Toboe replied, pacing the width of the alley as Kiba and Cheza stood with them. "We just have to be patient."

He jumped when the back door to the diner opened and Blue hurried out of it, shutting the door behind her then leaning back against it with a sigh.

"Sorry it took me so long, guys," she said, stepping toward them. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Not everyone's here yet," Toboe explained. "We have to wait for everyone."

"Do you think Ryooshi found Tsume?" Kiba wondered as Toboe resumed pacing.

"Finding him is no problem, I'm sure," Liona retorted. "It's convincing him to _come_ that's probably taking so long."

"Who are these people again?" Blue whispered to Liona, a regular customer to the diner.

"You'll find out soon enough, I guess," Liona replied, vaguely and Blue glared at the woman suspiciously. She sighed and glanced down the alleyway, but made a double-take when she caught sight of a familiar face cautiously rounding the corner and grinned.

"Hige!" she called, catching his attention and snapping everyone else's attention to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I…uh…" he trailed off nervously as the crowd stared at him. "I followed the scent. That girl smells really nice. It smells kinda familiar though, so I just came to investigate."

"Why don't you come over here with us?" Blue insisted, hurrying toward him and taking his hand to pull him back to the group. "You guys don't mind if he hangs out with us while we wait for the rest of your friends to show up, right?"

"Actually, he's one of the friends we were waiting for," Kiba replied with only a slight smirk making Blue and Hige frown at him.

"Me?" he wondered if he'd heard right. "I don't even know who you guys are."

He purposely omitted the fact that he'd seen the two wolves and the girl in pink the day before. He was sure they'd think he was stalking them or something, but he wondered if it wasn't the other way around if they knew who _he_ was.

A low rumble erupted down the alleyway and they all jumped as they snapped their attention in that direction to see a motorcycle slowing to meet them, stopping a few feet from them so that rider and passenger could dismount the vehicle. The passenger hopped off first and grinned at the crowd as the rider pulled off his helmet and dismounted the bike to lean it against the wall.

"Oh, great," Hige muttered, catching Blue's attention. "It's that crazy girl from yesterday."

Blue gave a little giggle and Hige peered over at her with a smile as Ryooshi and Tsume approached them all.

"Good! Everyone's here!" she grinned, tugging at Tsume's arm as he dragged his feet, glancing around at the group.

_Oh, perfect_, he thought. _There's that kid with those intense eyes. Almost makes me wanna shiver lookin' at him._

He caught sight of Hige and glared at him, pointing at him and saying, "You're the idiot I almost ran over. Why don't you watch where you're goin' porky?!"

"_Me_?!" Hige snapped back defensively, and would have marched toward him if Blue hadn't been holding onto his arm still. "_You're_ the one who should watch where he's going! You almost made me road-kill!"

"It's your own fault for stepping off the curb without looking!" Tsume shot back, trying to advance as well, but Ryooshi was tugging him back. Kiba shook his head at the two as they began simply growling at each other and Toboe rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Alright, you two, that's enough!" Liona stepped in, standing between the two and flicking both their noses. Both wolves immediately stopped growling and stared at Liona with wide eyes filled with disbelief. "We're here to get your memory's back, not waste time trying to figure who could have caused an accident first!"

"Memory's?" Blue echoed as Hige stepped back with one glare at Tsume, which the older wolf ignored. "Memories of what?"

"Our past lives," Tsume muttered and Blue looked at him in wide-eyed shock.

"Oh, jeez, you didn't take me seriously, did you?" she asked Tsume with a nervous laugh. "I mean, what I told you yesterday about us meeting in a past life…you don't really think---?"

"We did, Blue," Toboe cut in, drawing her attention to him.

"How do you know my name?" she breathed in awe.

"Because he knows you," Kiba replied for the young wolf. "We all know each other from our past life."

"All of us except for the human and the mutt over here," Tsume corrected, nodding to Liona and Ryooshi, causing the latter to glare at him for calling her a mutt again. "Least, I don't _think_ we met them."

"No," Cheza finally spoke up in a soft voice, drawing everyone's attention as she stared at the ground without seeing the ground. "This one does not remember Ryooshi. This one remembers Kiba, Hige, Tsume, Toboe and Blue."

She looked towards Hige and stepped toward him until she was facing him completely as he stared back at her in wonder. She pushed back the hood of her pink raincoat and lifted her hands toward his face to cup it in them, making him give only a slight blush.

"Kiba told this one of the terrible thing that happened to you, Hige," she said, softly. "This one knows you did not betray them. You could never do such a thing to your friends."

"What are you---?"

Hige's question was severed by a mental snap that made his eyes widen and his jaw slacken. What exactly went through his mind, the others would never know, but after a second or two, he looked back at Cheza and gave her a warm smile as she lowered her hands.

He looked around at the rest of the group, something different in his gaze now, as if he knew exactly who everyone was, and when his gaze landed on Blue he pulled his hand from her grip and slung it around her shoulders, pulling her close to place a soft kiss on her temple and making her blush.

"Wha…?" Blue breathed, looking back at him, but he only smiled making her frown at him, but before she could question him further, Cheza stepped in front of her, making Blue look at her in wonder.

Cheza placed took Blue's face into her hands and spoke, soothingly, "You were only half wolf when this one met you, but in this life, you are full wolf. Kiba told me about your master. He would wish to see you again, I'm sure."

Snap. Blue stared at the Flower Maiden with wide eyes as Hige had, and after a moment her expression changed. She didn't bother looking at the rest of the group, she only turned to Hige and threw her arms around him, planting her lips to his. He blushed as she pulled away and snuggled up under his chin as he still blushed, but he gave a smile and pulled her closer as Ryooshi giggled cutely at the scene.

Cheza smiled at the couple then turned to Tsume and slowly stepped toward him. He took a small step back as everyone watched in particular interest at what _he_ would do. He kept his eyes on Cheza as she approached him still and she placed a hand over the scar on his chest.

"This was there when this one met you," she explained, softly. "This one remembers you to be protective and though you would never admit it, this one could see that you cared for those around you."

Tsume only stared at her, but as Ryooshi stared closely at him, she saw the expression in his eyes shift and without a word he looked up at Toboe in what could be described as sorrow at his recovered memories. As Cheza lowered her hand, Tsume looked away from the group, but ended up looking at Ryooshi as she stared back at him.

"I told you," he growled softly at her, making her frown in confusion. "I told I didn't want to remember."

With that he turned and marched toward his bike as everyone watched him and Toboe hung his head, sadly.

Ryooshi sighed hopelessly as he continued walking away, but she straightened when she caught something down the block. The scent hit her senses first before she saw it. Unfortunately it was a familiar scent, and she was a little surprised the others didn't catch it. Either they did and were ignoring it, or didn't find it as alarming as she did. The scent was saturated with gunpowder, vinyl, metal and the thing that frightened her the most, the slight hint of wolf mixed in. She saw a man in black at the end of the block, something huge in his hands and a canine companion with him. A companion that looked very much, and in fact _was_, a wolf.

"Tsume!" she called desperately, making everyone jump, but he only continued to his bike and pulling the helmet from the handlebar to put it on. Ryooshi didn't think twice before running toward him and yanking his helmet from him, knowing that would get his attention. Sure enough, Tsume looked at her with a fire in his jade eyes, but she only stared at him, unafraid of him and by all means afraid of the man down the block.

"Ryooshi, what's wrong?" Toboe called, seeing her panicked manner and she stared at him with wide eyes.

"We have to get out of here," she explained, hurrying back to the group, still holding Tsume's helmet.

"Hey!" he called, going after her. "Give me that---!"

He went to snatch it away but she pulled it out of his reach.

"What's wrong?" Hige asked next. "Why do we have to leave?"

"There are some!"

Ryooshi's heart almost stopped when she heard the man shout and the group snapped their attention to the man now running toward them, the wolf beside him.

"Wolf Hunters!" Ryooshi cried at all of them. "Run!"

None of them waited a second before obeying Ryooshi's command and they all ran out of the alley and down the street, away from the diner.

"Separate!" Ryooshi called again. "We're easier targets if we're together! Meet up later!"

"Where?!" Liona shouted as they all still ran, hearing more footsteps behind them.

"Follow Cheza's scent!" she replied. "Wherever she and Kiba are, that's where we'll meet!"

The group nodded to each other and shot off in different directions. Kiba led Cheza down another alley while Hige and Blue ran straight down the street, Toboe and Liona darted down another and Ryooshi followed Tsume as he slid sideways into a wide gutter.

* * *

**A/N: **yay, but, oh crap. LOL. yes, another cliffhanger. but don't worry, the next chappie should be coming up soon. at least they all have their memories back! and i just couldn't help the kiss with Hige and Blue. as i said before, i love that pairing. reviews?


	12. Run Wolf Warriors

**A/N:** yeah, yeah, play on one of the songs. i couldn't help it. yay! new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 12: Run Wolf Warriors**_

They landed with small splashes, side by side and Tsume glared at Ryooshi as she only looked up at the opening above them, allowing a shaft of light to illuminate them in the sewer.

"Why do you keep following me?!" Tsume snarled but Ryooshi slapped a hand over his mouth, still looking up at the shaft of light above them. He glared at her again but just as he was about to yank his head from her hand, he heard boots hitting pavement above them.

"They dove in here!" the man called and Ryooshi yanked her hand away from Tsume's mouth to shove him ahead.

"Run!" she hissed and they dashed across the concrete platform they'd landed on, Tsume in the lead with Ryooshi on his tail. They heard a splash and a snarl behind them but neither one dared look back, especially Ryooshi.

"What the hell is goin' on here, mutt!" Tsume growled as they rounded a corner to lose the animal behind them.

"Just run!" Ryooshi shot back, shoving him ahead a little more.

"Be nice if I knew what I was running _from_!" he snapped.

"A wolf! Now just---!"

She was cut off when she let out a howl of pain, causing Tsume to make a dead stop and turn as Ryooshi gave another yelp. The wolf that had been chasing them was gnawing on she wasn't doing all that much to fight it. Tsume leapt toward the attacking wolf and sunk his teeth into the nape of the canine's neck. The wolf let out a yelp, letting go of Ryooshi's leg in the process but it turned on Tsume. He was faster and leapt out of the way then spun and kicked the wolf with his hind legs, causing that wolf to land in the sewer water.

"Over there! I heard a splash!"

"Damn!" Tsume growled, hearing the human's voice echo in the dark sewer. He looked at Ryooshi who was whimpering as she tried to stand. Growling in frustration, he pulled her into his arms and darted down the sewer as Ryooshi threw her arms around his neck to keep herself from falling.

He stopped, swiftly leapt into an elevated pipe several feet above them, big enough for them to fit, and set Ryooshi down. He leaned against the side of the pipe to watch the men Ryooshi called Wolf Hunters run down the sewer and past them. Only when Tsume heard their boot-steps disappear did he relax and let out a sigh. Suddenly remembering he wasn't alone he snapped his gaze at Ryooshi who was giving out small whimpers at the pain in her leg.

"First of all," he began, catching her attention, "how the hell did you know what those guys were and that they were gonna attack us?"

She stared at him for a moment and swallowed before shaking her head and turning back to her leg.

"Fine then, how come you didn't fight back when that wolf caught you?" he asked but instead of getting an answer she only shook her head again.

"Alright," he grumbled through clenched teeth in frustration. "Why the hell are wolves helping those Wolf Hunters kill us?"

Again she didn't answer, but this time she didn't even move either.

"Why the hell won't you answer me?!" he growled, shooting to his feet to stare her down. "I couldn't get you to shut up a minute ago! What are you clamming up for all of a sudden?!"

"I don't wanna talk about it," she mumbled, making Tsume stare at her with wide eyes, but she still didn't look at him. "It's got something to do with my past and I just don't wanna talk about it. You know what that feels like, right? You wouldn't tell me how you got that scar on your chest, and I haven't asked you about it since."

"You wouldn't leave it alone when I told you I didn't wanna remember me past life," Tsume retorted. "Why should I leave you alone about this? Seems a little unfair, don't you think?"

"You'll hate me if I tell you," she replied, still not looking at him as he leaned back on the wall in front of her.

"I hate you already," he corrected, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No you don't," she argued and he shot another wide-eyed gaze at her. "If you did, you wouldn't have saved me back there for the second time since we met."

Tsume sneered at her and glanced down the pipe then back at her and asked, "Can you walk?"

She only nodded, still not looking at him.

"Then let's get above ground," he said, pushing off the wall and starting down the pipe. "We'll hide at the shack where my gang hides-out. Those Wolf Hunters won't think to look there, right?"

"They probably already have," she struggled, trying to stand on her lame foot. "They won't back-track though, which is good news for us."

"Good," Tsume nodded and glanced at her as she tried limping a little ways, almost falling in the process. He gave another sigh of exasperation and stepped next to her, pulling her arm up and around his neck, his arm around her for support. Ryooshi looked up at him in surprise, a slight blush over her cheeks and she swallowed as they headed down the pipe.

They walked slowly for a half hour or so before they came to a manhole. They stood under it and Tsume lowered his arm around Ryooshi to grab her waist and hoist her toward it. She winced at the pain in her leg but kept it silent as she moved the manhole cover and lifted herself up just enough to look around and make sure it was safe.

They would emerge into the middle of the street, but everything seemed to be deserted. That made her uneasy, but at the same time, she knew it would work in their favor.

"Well?" Tsume prompted for a report.

"The street's deserted," she reported. "I think it'll be ok."

Without another word Tsume let her fall from the opening above, making her give a yelp of surprise but he quickly kept her from falling completely as he gathered her in his arms and she looked up at him with wide eyes and another blush over her cheeks.

"Don't read anything into it, mutt," he grumbled, seeing her red cheeks. "It's only 'cause you're injured that I'm holding you like this. Got it?"

Ryooshi only nodded but swallowed to moisten her dry mouth all the same. Tsume glanced up at the manhole and pulled her closer so she wouldn't bump her head as she curled closer into him to avoid the same thing, and he jumped out of the hole in one quick motion, landing in a kneeling position just next to the manhole. He shoved the cover back over the hole and hurried down the street.

"We'll get to my bike and head back to the hide-out---"

"No!" she objected. "If we take the bike, they'll hear it, and then they'll find us. A quiet get-away is better."

"But it would be _faster_ if we took the bike!" Tsume snarled back.

"Just listen to me, will you!" Ryooshi hissed as she held onto his neck while he still held her. "We can get to your hide-out quickly and quietly _without_ the bike!"

Tsume growled at her in agitation but headed quickly down the street and towards the shack. He couldn't believe he was actually listening to this she-wolf more than he should, but she had a point. The bike would be fast, but it would be loud. There would be no way they could keep a low profile on that thing.

Ryooshi snuggled closer to him and his heart skipped a beat again as it had done the first time she'd ridden with him on the bike. He couldn't understand why but at the moment he didn't care. All he needed to think about in that moment was getting to the hide-out, and getting there without being spotted.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally came to the shack. He could tell none of his gang was there, which was just fine with him. He didn't need any of those idiots asking him questions and annoying him right now. He shoved the door open and gently set Ryooshi against the stone in front of the fire which had died long after they left.

He sat next to her and sighed in exhaustion as he leaned on the stone next to her and she looked back at him. Realizing he was being stared at he looked at her and grunted, "What?"

"Thank you for saving me again, Tsume," she smiled, sweetly. "I knew you would."

"That why you didn't fight back?" he retorted, and her smile dropped slightly.

"No," she replied, to his surprise. "But I still knew you would."

Tsume sneered and looked away from her, making her give a small giggle. Suddenly exhausted she closed her eyes and allowed her head to lull to one side. She slowly started leaning to the side until she landed against Tsume's shoulder. He shot a burning gaze at her but when he realized she was asleep he sighed, hopelessly.

"Why the hell are you following me, Ryooshi?" he murmured. "After the way I've treated you, why are you still here?"

He suddenly realized, he was a magnet for young pups who were in trouble. First Toboe, now Ryooshi. He swallowed the lump in his throat that formed when he thought of Toboe. He remembered everything now…even the runt's death. That had been the thing he was afraid of remembering. He hated seeing Toboe's lifeless body lying in the snow under that old man's arm.

The other thing he'd been afraid to remember was Hige's death as well. That had been by his own hand. Darcia did most of the work, but Hige had asked Tsume to put him out of his misery, and he had. It was a mercy killing, but he hated doing it, nonetheless. They'd all died. All except Kiba. At least, that was all he remembered.

_Now that I remember, what the hell do I do?_ he thought to himself, but try as he might, he couldn't find the answer to that question. He supposed he would meet up with the pack again and he'd figure it out when they were all together, but for now, they would wait until nightfall to start searching for the rest.

Glancing down at Ryooshi again, he couldn't help but slide his arm around her shoulders and pull her a little closer to him. It was cold, but he couldn't risk building a fire. Suddenly feeling tired himself, he let his head rest on top of Ryooshi's, shut his eyes and drifted to sleep quickly, not even noticing Ryooshi smile as she snuggled a little closer to him.

* * *

Hige and Blue darted down the alleyway, Hige never letting go of her hand. They suddenly stopped abruptly at the end of the alley when a man in black with a machine gun came up in front of them, a wolf snarling at his feet.

"I got two over here!" he shouted, and the wolf with him leapt at Blue, but Hige pounced at him mid-air, sinking his teeth into the wolf's neck and making him yelp.

"Jump!" Hige shouted as he quickly pulled away and they leapt up into the air, quickly jumping from sill to sill on the buildings, dodging the bullets fired by the man in black at the bottom of the alley.

They leapt onto one of the roofs of the buildings and hurried across it to the other end to jump to the next building until they didn't hear the men shouting or the wolves barking. Panting, they sat down on the flat roof and Hige flopped back with an exhausted sigh onto his back, making Blue giggle at him. He closed his eyes, pulling his hands under his head to cradle it and opened only one eye to peek at Blue as she sat next to him, smiling.

"That was close, huh?" he smiled and she nodded, laying on her back as well with a sigh.

"Thank you for protecting me, Hige," she said, rolling onto her side and propping her head in one of her hands.

"Well, I know you can take of yourself, but I couldn't resist playing the Hero for the Damsel in Distress," he smirked and Blue laughed, slightly. Hige pulled an arm from under his head and slid it around her waist to pull her almost completely on top of him, making her give a slight blush as he murmured, "And thank _you_ for that kiss earlier."

"You're welcome," she smirked and snuggled her head under his chin as he grinned.

"We'll wait until sunset to find Kiba and the others," Hige advised. "Those guys in black shouldn't be up at night just to look for us."

"What if they come up here to search for us?" Blue asked worriedly, sitting up just enough to look at him. "We should find a better place to hide, don't you think?"

Hige nodded in agreement and sat up with her to stand with her. They ran to the edge of the roof and cautiously glanced over the edge. They noticed a few of the Wolf Hunters come out of the building they were facing that looked like an abandoned hotel.

"Anything?" one of them asked one of his friends, and the man he was talking to shook his head.

Hige looked at Blue and nodded toward the hotel and she nodded in agreement. They both took some steps back to get a running start and leapt to the roof of the hotel. They swiftly launched themselves into one of the open windows and landed inside a room, noiselessly. Hige sniffed the air and caught the stale smell of age and neglect in the air, but didn't catch anything threatening. Taking Blue's hand again he led her out of the room and into the hallway of the second floor they were on to look around.

"This should do," he nodded in satisfaction and they both turned back into the room to look at the dusty old bed inside it. Both wrinkled their noses at it and exchanged glances.

"Maybe we shouldn't be so picky," Blue shrugged. "After all, it's a bed."

"I'd rather not inhale dust while I sleep," Hige replied, shaking his head and turning his nose up at the bed, comically.

"I don't think we'll be getting around _that_ if we're spending the night here," she smirked, playfully and Hige gave a sigh of defeat. She was right. She suddenly cast her glance down to the ground and murmured, "I hope the others are ok. Ryooshi seemed to be scared the most out of all of us."

Hige smiled at Blue, slipping his arm around her shoulders and hugging her closer as he walked them toward the bed to sit on the trunk at the foot of the mattress.

"I'm sure they're all fine," he assured her then wondered out loud, "What _I'd_ like to know is how she knew what those guys were. I've never heard of a Wolf Hunter before. _Especially_ not one that uses wolves to hunt other wolves."

"That's the scariest part," Blue agreed. "What is this world coming to when wolves hunt other wolves?!"

"I don't know, Blue," he sighed, pulling her closer and resting his chin on her head as she leaned it against his shoulder. "Maybe when we catch up with the others, Ryooshi can clear some things up?"

Blue nodded and snuggled closer into Hige, making him smile and hug her again.

"We need to rest," he murmured and she nodded again. Both crawled onto the bed, giving a few sneezes at the dust that bellowed into the air at their sudden movements, and curled up against each other, Hige holding Blue close.

"I'm glad we have our memory's back," she smiled.

"Me too," Hige grinned back. "Although, I can't believe I forgot about being with a babe like you."

Blue laughed and gave him a light punch in the chest, but snuggled closer to him to drift to sleep. Hige soon fell asleep himself, a huge grin on his face.

* * *

Toboe bounded down the alleyway they had ducked into, Liona stumbling and tripping behind him trying to keep up with his wolf form. He finally stopped to wait for her at the end of the alleyway beyond the one they'd run into, but he still heard one of the Wolf Hunters coming after them, even over his panting and racing heart.

"Go, Toboe!" Liona gasped for air, catching up to his human form and shoving him in urgency. "I'll hold him off! You run home!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Toboe insisted, but Liona tried shoving him again.

"Run home!" she repeated. "I won't let them kill you!"

"But _I_ can't let them kill _you_!" Toboe shot back, desperately.

"There's one!"

They jumped and looked in the direction opposite to where they had been running to see a Wolf Hunter and his wolf running toward them. Toboe knew at once that the wolf would get there sooner, and he refused to let Liona get caught in the middle of a fight between wolves.

Thinking quickly he threw his arms around Liona's waist and leapt into the air and jumped from window sill to window sill to get to the roof as Liona held tight to him. Once on the roof he let Liona stand and they darted across the roof to glance into the alley on the other side of the building. Lifting Liona in his arms again, Toboe jumped down into the alley, but instead of landing gracefully and noiselessly, his foot slipped and he fell onto his back, Liona landing on his stomach and making him grunt.

"Ow," he groaned as Liona scrambled off of him.

"Toboe, are you alright?!" Liona whispered, not wanting the Wolf Hunters to catch them and helping the young wolf up.

"Yeah," he groaned again, standing.

"Down here! I think I heard something!"

"Dangit!" Toboe snarled, and scrambled to his feet, gathered Liona into his arms again and leapt up to the highest window sill he could reach, crouched there and whispered to Liona, "Don't make a sound."

She nodded and they watched the man below run through the alley. They sighed in relief when he went straight through, but Toboe gave a small gasp when he saw a wolf trailing into the alleyway and sniffing the air. Of course, the wolf caught their scent, and looking up at the source, started barking at them. Toboe didn't wait to see if one of the men would respond before he leapt toward the roof of the next building, doing a front flip off the last window sill to give himself a little more momentum. Liona shrieked when they landed on the roof, this time without slipping.

"We'll head home," Toboe planned, not letting his 'sister' down as he raced across the roof. "Hold on."

He didn't have to tell her twice as she held her arms around his neck tightly to keep from falling. Leaping from roof to roof, Toboe made his way back to Liona's apartment and when he finally stopped, they'd landed on the porch in front of her front door. He set Liona on her feet and hurried through his doggy door to open the door on the other side to let her in. When she didn't move, still in shock, he gripped her hand and pulled her into the apartment then shut the door and locked it behind her.

"Don't ever do that with me again, ok?" she breathed, trembling slightly. Toboe couldn't help but snicker at her reaction. She knew he was a wolf, and had seen his abilities, but being in the middle of one of his performances was too much for her.

"So, Young Pup," she began, trying to collect herself, "what now?"

Toboe looked at Liona with wide eyes and blinked a few times before breathing, "I don't know."

Liona nodded and stepped toward him, placing her hands on his shoulders at look him in the eye and said, "Well, Ryooshi told you to meet up later, right?"

Toboe only nodded.

"Right. So you'll go looking for your friends after nightfall," she nodded, patting his cheek but as she walked away to the kitchen, Toboe stared at her with wide eyes.

"You won't come with me?" he wondered, and Liona stopped next to the dining room table to sigh and turn to face him.

"These are _your_ friends, Young Pup," she replied. "You're a pack of _wolves_…that means no humans."

"But, I'm not gonna leave you, Sissy!" Toboe cried, hurrying toward her and taking her hands in his. "Where I go, you go. That's the deal! I'm not leaving you behind!"

"Toboe, I can't run with a pack of wolves!" Liona laughed, turning to head into the kitchen. "First of all, I can't even keep up with _you_ when you're running, and second of all, that cute little kitten you brought home need to be taken care of. You don't suggest we take him with us, do you?"

"But, Sissy---"

"Toboe, I knew this would happen some day," she cut in, standing in front of the sink to lean on it. Her voice sounded like it was shaky, at best, and Toboe sensed a sorrowful aura fill the air emitting from his 'sister'. "I knew you'd find your friends some day and go with them. I'm happy for you, Young Pup, and I know being with your pack makes you happy."

As she spoke, Toboe had been stepping slowly closer to her, and now he placed a hand on her shoulder, making her stiffen and turn her head to him.

"Sissy…" he breathed, "being with you makes me happy too, you know?"

"I know," Liona smiled, patting his hand on her shoulder and giving a sniffle. "But I know that you should be with your own kind, too."

Toboe, in his wolf form, rubbed his head against her leg with a small whimper and Liona looked down with a small smile, lifting a hand to run it over the wolf's head, scratching him behind the ears.

"Go build a fire, Young Pup," she smiled. "It's cold in here."

* * *

Kiba and Cheza ran down the street, not looking back as Kiba led the way, Cheza's hand in his. They turned around the block but he made a dead stop when he came face to face with a Wolf Hunter as his wolf.

"Get him!" the man ordered to the wolf and it didn't hesitate to charge toward the two.

Kiba growled, standing his ground as the wolf came barreling toward them and Kiba leapt toward him, jaws open. The attacking wolf dig his heels into the ground as Kiba leapt at him, but it wasn't fast enough and the white wolf landed onto him, his teeth sinking into his neck just below his chin. A sickening snap was heard and was followed by the report of the machine gun that the Wolf Hunter was holding.

"Kiba!" Cheza called in a panic at the gunshots, but Kiba had leapt out of the way just in time, and the bullets only hit the dead wolf on the ground.

Kiba landed next to Cheza and hurried her into an alley as the man followed her, not caring about his wolf partner lying in the street. They stopped when Kiba spotted another Wolf Hunter running down the alley toward them. Without a word, he gathered Cheza into his arms and leapt onto a window sill on one of the buildings. The window being open he set Cheza down inside the room and climbed in himself.

"They'll come in here to find us," he told her. "We'll have to get out of here without them knowing we've gone."

"This way," Cheza suggested, taking Kiba's hand, gently and leading him out of the room.

They headed across a balcony on the second floor they'd landed on and toward a room on the other side. Cheza led Kiba into the room and raised a hand to the window. Looking out the window he saw an old hotel that looked like it hadn't been used in years. Gathering her into his arms again he leapt out the window and ducked into the window she'd been pointing at, landed noiselessly on the carpet. A gasp caught his attention and he looked up at the bed in the room to see two familiar faces.

"Glad you could make it," Hige grinned with a wave of his hand as Kiba stood and set Cheza on her feet and Blue scooted to sit on the edge of the mattress they were on.

"When did you get here?" Kiba wondered, holding Cheza's hand to lead her closer to the bed.

"Just a minute ago," Blue answered as Cheza sat next to her on the bed. "We barely escaped one of the Wolf Hunters."

"We just escaped two of them as well," Kiba reported.

"Damn! They're everywhere, aren't they?!" Hige grumbled, flopping back onto the bed with his hands behind his head and making a cloud of dust bellow into the air.

The four coughed at the dust in the air but Kiba managed to ask, "Have you seen---" Here he coughed again, "…Ryooshi at all?"

The couple shook their heads and Kiba gave a nod of understanding.

"Hige and I were just wondering how she knew what those men were before they even came after us," Blue replied and Kiba said nothing as he started wondering the same thing.

"It's a little suspicious, if you ask me," Hige chimed in. "And it's kinda sick using wolves to hunt other wolves."

"Gee, thanks, Hige," Blue retorted and he shot a wide-eyed look at her as sat up, remembering that she had done just that in her past life for the man who had been her master at the time.

"No, no! I didn't mean it like that!" he recanted. "You didn't know you were part wolf! But these wolves hunting us…they know what they are, and they know what we are. _That's_ what makes it sick. They're hunting their own kin, and they know it."

"I'm sure they think they have no choice, Hige," Kiba theorized. "The men probably told gave them a choice, either work for them and hunt us or be hunted and killed themselves."

"I'd rather be dead than work for humans like that," Hige retorted, sitting back again. "I'm sure if Tsume were here he'd agree with me."

"For once," Blue scoffed making Cheza giggle.

"I'm sure they don't like the circumstances," Kiba continued, stepping toward the bed to sit next to Cheza. "They probably feel guilty beyond belief, but there's nothing they can do about now."

"Why would the humans trust wolves anyway?" Hige wondered. "I mean, they could turn on them anytime they wanted."

"I'm sick of talking about this," Blue interrupted then glanced at the Flower Maiden next to her. "Look, you're depressing Cheza!"

The two males looked at Cheza to see that Blue was right. Her blank gaze was filled with sorrow, and Kiba slid his arm around her shoulders to pull her close to him.

"I'm sorry, Cheza," he murmured.

"This one is as well," she murmured, making him frown, but she continued, "This one hates that the wolves are hunting each other. It seems this world is no batter than the world before it."

They were all silent for a moment, deep in thought, but Hige quickly sat up and jumped from the bed to stand in front of the other three with a grin.

"Hey, why don't you and Cheza take the bed, Kiba?" he suggested. "Cheza shouldn't have to sleep on the floor."

"Would you all stay here with this one?" Cheza hoped, lifting her head, slightly.

"Of course we will," Blue smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think any of us want to be alone right now."

"So, I guess we'll just wait for the others to show up later, huh?" Hige guessed as he went to sit on the bed again.

"Yes," Kiba nodded as they all scooted onto the bed to get comfortable.

"Do you think Ryooshi will come back?" Blue wondered as she and Hige snuggled up together. "I mean, after warning us about that Wolf Hunter, she probably knows that we'll have questions for her."

"Didn't she run off with Tsume?" Hige recalled. "Maybe he talked to her already and she told him something?"

"Maybe," Kiba replied. "But she seemed so frightened when she told us to run, she may not say anything to him."

"She seemed like an open personality," Blue replied.

"Yeah, but she's a little crazy too," Hige retorted, twirling a finger around one of his ears. "Crazies don't usually share a lot about what makes them scared and…crazy."

"She's not crazy," Blue argued. "She's…different."

"Crazy," Hige mouthed at Kiba who gave a small amused smile at his friend.

"We should get some sleep," he advised and the couple nodded, snuggling into each other a little more.

Kiba turned to Cheza as she laid between Kiba and Blue, and he stiffened when the Flower Maiden snuggled a little closer to him. He swallowed and looked down at the now sleeping maiden and hesitantly moved his arm to hold her. Cheza gave a small smile accompanied by a contented sigh and Kiba couldn't help but give a small smile himself as he drifted to sleep after her.

* * *

**A/N**: aw, little Kiba and Cheza moment. i couldn't resist that either. wow, this was a long chapter, wasn't it? i had fun with it though. anyway, reviews?


	13. Promise This One

**A/N: **wow this one came fast didn't it? lol. enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 13: Promise This One**_

"Hey, mutt, wake up!" Tsume urged, nudging Ryooshi as she still leaned on him in the dark shack, the only light coming through the window being the half-moon's natural glow. She groaned and stirred, but didn't open her eyes. He gave a heavy sigh and gritting his teeth he looked down at her then snarled, "I'm not carrying you anymore! Get up!"

She still didn't open her eyes and Tsume flicked her nose as Liona had done to him earlier that day. Ryooshi finally shook her head, recoiling from his hand and sat up to rub her nose and glare at him.

"What the hell was that for?" she groaned in a raw voice.

"You wouldn't move," Tsume shot back and stood up then held a hand to her. She looked at his hand with a frown then turned the frown to him. "Your leg still hurts, doesn't it? You need help up, don't you?"

She opened her mouth to respond but quickly closed it and took his hand, using her un-mauled leg to support her weight, but as stood, she stumbled and tripped forward only to slam into Tsume's chest. He quickly threw his arms around her to keep from falling and she looked up at him, cheeks red again.

"First you get shot," he began, "then you get mauled, and now you're tripping all over the place. You're a clumsy mutt. Were you dropped as a pup?"

"Shut up!" Ryooshi squeaked, shoving away from him as he chuckled, seemingly unaffected by their shared closeness. She stepped a few paces away from him and crossed her arms in a huff then asked, "So where are we going?"

"Well, it's a little after sunset," Tsume explained. "We should find the others. We'll follow Cheza's scent, like you said when we were running from those guys." He turned to the door and started out of the shack, calling over his shoulder, "Let's go."

He opened the door but stopped when he didn't hear footsteps hurrying behind him. Tsume turned around to see Ryooshi standing in the middle of the shack, staring at the ground, and it made him frown in confusion. He thought she would be excited and tell him to wait up, not sulky and saying nothing. He resisted the urge to ask what was wrong. It wasn't like he really cared. But he couldn't help but wonder what was going through her mind.

"I don't think…I should go," she finally muttered, not looking at him. "I probably don't belong anyway. It's been so long since I've been in a pack…I don't think I could adjust."

"Who said anything about us letting you into our pack?" Tsume retorted, but he was surprised when she didn't look up at him with a hurt gaze. She still stared at the ground.

"I mean that…I'm used to being on my own," she explained. "I've been living on my own for about five years now. I haven't even run into any wolves until I met you and your friends. What I guess I'm trying to say is…I don't think I should go with you."

There was a pause. A fleeting silence that lasted no more than five seconds before Tsume broke it.

"That's not all of it, right?" he guessed, and this made Ryooshi's head shoot up to look at him with her wide, jade eyes.

"H-How did you---?"

"It doesn't take a psychic to see it, mutt," Tsume retorted. "I can hear it in your voice. You don't wanna tell me what your problem is or come with me, fine, but don't try to justify it by saying you've been on your own all this time and don't remember what it's like to be a wolf. You can't forget what you are. I've been on my own too, and I haven't forgotten."

There was another silence as she still stared at him with a wide-eyed expression and he only turned back to the door.

"So you're not coming?" he guessed by her silence.

She only stared at his back for a moment, but the moment was long enough for him to take it as a 'yes' and he started walking out the door without another word. Ryooshi stared at the empty doorway, listening to Tsume's footsteps drift away, then shook herself back to reality.

"Tsume!" she called, bolting out the door. She didn't realize that he hadn't gotten that far, and didn't have time to stop before she rammed into him and landed to the ground with a grunt.

"Finally make a decision, mutt?" Tsume smirked as she sat up and rubbed her back, glaring at him.

"Stop calling me a mutt!" she spat and his smirk grew a little as he held out his hand again. She glanced between his smirk and his hand and gave a smirk herself before taking his hand. She stood up and they started walking again, side by side.

"So does this mean I'm on your good side now?" she smiled cutely and Tsume frowned at her then gave a growl but she only grinned back.

"Just because I'm letting you come with me doesn't mean we're friends," he replied.

"Sure it does!" Ryooshi smiled, darting in front of him to walk backwards and say, "You're not telling me to leave you alone anymore, right? Doesn't that mean you don't mind me anymore?"

"No," he replied, flatly. "You're annoying as hell. You piss me off."

"There you go again," she smirked, waving a scolding finger at him. "Big Bad Wolf Tsume doesn't work on me anymore. Once somebody knows you're all warm and fuzzy inside, they can't be intimidated by your tough, mean exterior. It's like when you know the secret to a magic trick, it loses its mystery."

"I liked it better when you were depressed," he snapped. "At least you were quiet."

"But, Tsume---!"

They both stopped dead on their tracks and lifted their heads to sniff at the air.

"That's a nice scent," Ryooshi smirked, knowing what it was.

"This way," Tsume urged, darting past her and down the street. They'd both caught Cheza's Lunar Flower scent on the wind.

* * *

Toboe gave a small whine as he trudged down the street, his head bowed in sorrow. Liona had told him he should go find the rest of his pack, and that she wouldn't be surprised if he didn't come back. He didn't want to leave it that way, but thinking about leaving Liona forever depressed him. She was all he had had since he was a puppy.

She had said it was alright. She had said she knew this day would come, but he could hear in her voice that she didn't want him to leave any more than _he_ wanted leave _her_. He suddenly realized why Tsume would never let himself get attached to humans the way he did with Liona and Granny in his past life. Tsume wanted to avoid the suffering caused by leaving or losing a master.

He knew he couldn't help it. He had to have someone there for him. Someone to protect and love who would play with him and love him in return. It was in his nature to care too much for humans, and it seemed no matter what he did, he ended up losing them somehow.

Lifting his head he sniffled and rubbed his nose then wiped his eyes of the tears that formed there without him noticing. He sniffed once more to clear his nose and suddenly perked up when he caught a whiff of a familiar scent.

"Cheza…" he breathed and darted down the street, following the scent. He rounded corners, ran through alleys, the scent getting stronger and stronger as he followed it. He finally came to a run-down hotel that looked like it hadn't been used in ages. Stopping at the front door he saw a sign across it reading 'Condemned' and a padlock kept the door shut.

Not risking being caught if he broke down the door, he headed down the alley on one side of the building to look for an open window. The scent became stronger as he entered the alley and he couldn't help but grin at it. He took a deep breath before finally jumping toward the window the scent was coming from.

"Holy crap---!"

Hige's exclamation was cut off when Toboe tumbled into him as he stood next to the window, sending them toppling to the floor. Blue laughed heartily as the two wolves on the floor tried to untangle themselves from each other.

"Hey! Watch where you're jumping, runt!" Hige snapped, back peddling on the floor and away from the young wolf.

"Sorry, Hige," Toboe groaned, rubbing his rump to relieve the soreness from the fall. He looked up at Blue, who snickered as Hige glared at her and Cheza giggled as well as Kiba only shook his head with a small smirk or amusement. Toboe couldn't help but smile at the nostalgia rolling over him. It felt like old times, and he loved it.

"Where's your human?" Blue wondered, collecting herself, and that dashed Toboe into his depression again. His face grew long as he gazed down at the floor.

"She didn't wanna come," he muttered. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"What, she kicked you out?" a voice from the window retorted. Toboe whirled around, still sitting on the floor as Tsume crouched in the window, drawing everyone's attention as he hopped from the sill and onto the floor.

"No---"

"In coming!" Ryooshi called and soared through the window…ramming into Tsume and sending them both to the floor and on top of Hige…again.

"What am I?! A fall-breaker?!" Hige snarled as he scrambled out from under the two and Tsume shoved Ryooshi off of himself.

"What the hell is wrong with you, mutt?!" Tsume growled, jumping to his feet as Ryooshi sat on the ground.

"I gave you a warning call," Ryooshi pouted, crossing her legs under to sit Indian style as she crossed her arms in a huff. "It's not _my_ fault you didn't listen to me."

"Ryooshi!" Toboe grinned and scrambled toward her, throwing his arms around her and grinning, "I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Good, go bother the runt for a while," Tsume muttered, but he'd spoken too soon. Toboe shot to his feet and ran to Tsume to hug him as well.

"I'm glad you're alright too, Tsume," Toboe smiled and Tsume couldn't help but give only a smirk and pat the runt's head.

"I hate to break up this little reunion," Hige called, getting to his feet and dusting himself off, "but we should probably figure out what to do now that these hunter guys are here."

Ryooshi stayed silent as her smile dropped slowly and she shrunk into herself slightly to keep from being noticed.

"Ask Ryooshi," Tsume replied as Toboe detached himself from the older wolf, and Ryooshi gave him a glare that was telling him to shut up, but he was either ignoring her or didn't see her. "_She_ seems to know a bit more about these guys than we do."

All eyes turned to Ryooshi who stiffened and stared back at them with wide eyes filled with panic.

"I-I…" she breathed, her gaze shifting from one expectant face to another. She felt her heart nearly stop when Kiba stood from his spot on the bed and came toward her. He stopped in front of her, knelt down to her level, as she was still sitting, and looked at her with those intense, ice blue eyes for a moment.

"I won't ask you how you know what you do about the Wolf Hunters," he began in a murmur, "I'm sure you'll tell us when you're ready. I'll only ask you to help us. What will they do now? What should _we_ do now?"

Ryooshi swallowed, feeling small under his intense eyes, but knowing he wasn't angry, or even demanding. He intimidated her even when being kind and caring, but she somehow felt encouraged all the same.

"They'll lock down the city," she replied, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear her. "Now that they know we're here, they'll be looking for us. They won't stop until they find us."

"How long will this lock down last?" Tsume wondered as Kiba sat back a foot or so away from Ryooshi.

"If they don't find us: a month," she replied, a bit more confidently. "They'll search the city for us for a month, and if they don't find us, they'll leave."

"So we hide somewhere until they leave," Hige reasoned with a shrug.

"It's not that easy," Ryooshi replied. "Those wolves with them will track us down even if we're locked in an attic somewhere. We'll think we're safe, but we won't be."

"So what do we do?" Toboe asked and all eyes gazed on Ryooshi cautiously and expectantly.

She scanned over the pack, meeting the eyes of everyone before looking back at Toboe and replied, "We leave the city."

"You gotta be kidding me," Tsume grumbled as Toboe stared at Ryooshi with wide eyes filled with disbelief, but she only looked at the wolf that had spoken up. "After all the crap we had to go through to get away from them, we have to go through them _again_ to get out of the city?!"

"It's our only option," Ryooshi insisted, then looked back at Kiba, somehow understanding that _he_ would see reason. "If we leave, they'll search the city for a month, come up empty, leave, and we can come back. Once they've searched one city, they'll never come back."

"I still can't figure out how you know so much about these guys," Hige piped up, making Ryooshi shoot a wide-eyed gaze at him. "Were you a flunky or something? Did they train you and you ran away once you found what they were doing?"

Ryooshi swallowed, staring at Hige in panic, but Kiba saved her from answering.

"That doesn't matter right now," he said. "What matters right now is surviving. Ryooshi's right. If we stay here in hiding for a month, they're bound to find us. I agree with her. We should leave the city." He looked back at Ryooshi who now looked gratefully back at him. "When will they start the lock down?"

"Tomorrow morning, if they haven't started it already," she replied.

"So we leave tonight," Kiba decided. "We leave now."

"Hold on a minute," Hige interjected. "Are we really trusting her? She hasn't even explained how---"

"Let it go, porky," Tsume cut in. "I already know what you're gonna say and you're not really one to talk, are you?"

"That was different," Hige snapped back. "And why are _you_ sticking up for her?! I would think of all people you would be siding with _me_ on this!"

"Why would I side with you on _anything_?" Tsume retorted, avoiding the question, and Hige glared at the older wolf as Kiba only ignored the fighting pair to stand, head toward Cheza and kneel in front of her, his hands taking hers.

"You don't need to worry Cheza," he murmured, softly. "We'll all take care of you. We won't let you get hurt."

Cheza lifted her head to gaze blankly at Kiba who gave a small smile.

"This one…will stay here."

That one, softly spoken statement shot all their attentions to her as Kiba's eyes widened and his smile dropped.

"Cheza, you don't have to do that," Blue jumped in, quickly. "You won't be a burden or anything if that's what you're worried about. We'll be happy to take care of you. We want you with us!"

"Yeah, Cheza, please come with us," Toboe begged, shuffling to the Flower Maiden's feet. "It won't be the same without you!"

"This one _should_ stay here," Cheza rephrased, making Kiba frown up at her in confusion. She lifted a hand and placed it on Kiba's cheek as she said, "Make a promise to this one that you will come back so that you have now choice but to do so. This one will be with you that way if you promise you will all stay alive for this one's sake. Will you promise, Kiba?"

Kiba gazed up at the Maiden's strange eyes and laid his head in her lap as he slid his arms around her waist.

"I _swear_, Cheza," he whispered. "I _swear_ I'll come back to you."

Cheza smiled as she placed her hand on Kiba's head and stroked his hair then looked up at Blue beside her who was near tears but managed to nod then say, "I promise we'll come back."

The Flower Maiden then looked to Hige who grinned with a thumbs-up and said, "Consider us there and back again without even a scratch on us, Cheza. I promise, too."

Her blind gaze fell on Toboe who gazed back at her with tears in his eyes and he nodded with a sniffle, shuddering, "I swear we'll come back, Cheza."

She looked over her shoulder at Tsume who sighed and nodded as he muttered, "Fine. Yeah. I promise, too."

A smile graced the Flower Maiden's rosy lips and she leaned forward to set her cheek on Kiba's head as it still sat in her lap.

"Do not be sad, Kiba," she whispered. "This one will be happy when you all return safely."

"I just found you again," Kiba whispered back, not moving. "I found you, and now I have to leave you again."

"This one hurts as well, but this one knows you will return, because you promised."

They both lifted their heads and Kiba saw tears starting to escape from her rose red eyes. He lifted a hand to brush one from her cheek that had trailed down her face with his thumb. He set his jaw and leaned forward to leave a small kiss on her lips and when he pulled away, he noticed his Flower Maiden blush for the first time.

"We should get moving," he announced as he stood, holding Cheza's hand and not moving from her side as he turned to the rest of the group. "But we need to find a place for Cheza. Somewhere she'll be safe."

"She can stay with Sissy," Toboe suggested, shooting to his feet. "She'll take _great_ care of her. Besides…" He trailed off for a moment in sorrow then resumed, "when I leave, she'll need the company."

"Alright," Kiba nodded in agreement. "We'll take Cheza there first." He turned to Cheza and asked, "Is that fine with you?"

She smiled with a nod as she stood and Kiba gave her a small smile before turning to the rest of the pack and telling Toboe to lead the way to Liona's apartment.

* * *

Toboe hugged Liona fiercely as the group stood in her apartment, ready to go.

"I'm gonna come back, Sissy," he murmured.

"I know, Young Pup," Liona replied, sniffling as she patted his back. "Now get going before you're found."

Toboe released his 'sister' and nodded, sniffling himself and he turned to the door to lead the way out. Hige and Blue followed as Kiba lingered to hold Cheza one more time before trailing after them and Ryooshi hugged Liona before following the white wolf, but she was stopped at the door by a voice.

"You didn't promise this one to come back," Cheza called to Ryooshi, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to the Maiden with wide eyes.

"But…you don't really know me the way know the rest of them," she said.

"That does not matter," Cheza replied. "This one wants _all_ of you to return. Will you make that promise to this one?"

Ryooshi stared at Cheza in shock and awe for a moment before giving a small smile, her eyes filling with tears at the Maiden's concern then giving a quick nod she said, "I promise, Cheza. I'll come back with them."

Cheza smiled and Ryooshi turned to follow the rest of the pack out of the city.

* * *

Ryooshi leapt from the balcony and into the street where the rest of the pack waited, glancing around to make sure none of the Wolf Hunters were out.

"So what now?" Hige wondered, slinging his arm over Blue's shoulders. "We know we have to leave, but where the heck are we gonna go once we're out of the city?"

"What's outside this city, anyway?" Toboe asked as Ryooshi glanced around then brought a hand up to the necklace she wore. A black onyx cabochon stone on a black leather cord.

"Nothing," Tsume answered Toboe. "There's nothing but desert. Almost like Freeze city, except _this_ place isn't under a dome. It's just here."

"So it really is like last time," Hige realized then sighed. "I don't wanna head out to the desert with nothing to eat and no destination!"

"We could go north," Ryooshi finally suggested, meekly, and all eyes turned to her.

"What's north?" Blue asked, and Ryooshi clutched the necklace tightly.

"A friend of mine," she replied. "He's an Indian chief. I saved his son two years ago. He gave me this and said I could return if I ever needed shelter, food, water or to stay with his village forever."

"So, you're inadvertently someone's pet," Tsume grumbled. "I knew you had to be to act the way you do."

"I'm not his pet," Ryooshi snapped. "We're friends. His village nearly _worships_ wolves. We'll be safe there."

They all turned to Kiba who had yet to say anything since they'd all gathered in the street. He looked at Ryooshi and she once again felt small under his gaze, but she could see he was evaluating her this time. She was sure they didn't trust her, and she wasn't surprised. Once they found out how she knew how the Wolf Hunters operated, they'd leave her, and she wouldn't be surprised by it at all.

"We'll head north, then," Kiba decided, making Ryooshi blink in shock.

"Are you kidding me?!" Hige nearly snarled. "The Crazy Girl Who Knows Too Much is gonna lead us to an Indian Chief that may, or may not, exist?!"

"At least we have a destination," Kiba argued. "Do you have another idea?"

Hige opened his mouth to reply but shut it again and set his jaw. He didn't, actually.

"Alright," Kiba nodded then turned to Ryooshi. "You lead the way."

Ryooshi swallowed, nervously and nodded and the pack bolted down the street, headed north.

* * *

**A/N:** maybe this one should have been named 'Run Wolf Warriors'? lol and yes, i know. you're probably all bummed that Cheza's not going with them and that Toboe is leaving Liona too, but think about it. do you really wanna see Cheza and Liona being toruted by the weather conditions and Liona being tortured by hunger? i didn't think so. anyway, reviews?


	14. Past Regrets

_**Chapter 14: Past Regrets**_

They scampered noiselessly down the streets of the city. Six wolves out to escape the deadly Wolf Hunters. Taking turns going forward to make sure the coast was clear around every corner and alley, they made their way to the shack that Tsume's gang met. Once there, they all filed inside and surveyed the area through the windows.

"They'll have a guard or two posted at the city border," Ryooshi whispered. "We'll have to get around them somehow."

"If it's only two we could take them head on," Tsume replied. "We outnumber them, three to one."

"Yeah, three unarmed to the one with a machine-gun _and_ a wolf?" Ryooshi retorted, making Tsume glare at her. "It's more like three to one, but it wouldn't work, no matter the odds. Their wolves will know we're coming before we can jump them."

"Well then what the hell are we supposed to do?" he snarled.

"Distract them with one while the rest of you get through," Ryooshi replied without a second's hesitation.

"The runt's the decoy," Hige volunteered Toboe who stared at him in disbelief.

"What?!" he yelped. "Why am _I_ the one who has to---?!"

"No," Kiba interrupted Toboe's outraged and looked at Ryooshi to say, "_You_ be the decoy."

"Oh, that's even better," Hige smirked, making Blue stare at him in wide-eyed shock. "I hope you get caught."

"This is your chance to prove yourself," Kiba explained to her, ignoring his friend. "You get us out of here, and you've earned our trust completely. At least, you'll have earned _mine_ completely."

Ryooshi set her jaw and nodded, determined to prove herself.

"Wait a minute," Toboe called. "What if she gets hurt? Maybe two of us could be decoys, just so she's not alone if they get separated."

"It's alright, Toboe," Ryooshi assured him with a warm smile. "I'll be alright. I know how to deal with them."

"Alright," Kiba nodded. "Let's go."

The pack darted from the shack in their wolf forms and toward the northern border of the city. The last buildings were tall hotels for people who had taken long trips to the city and needed a rest before conducting their business. The wolves ducked into an alleyway just as they saw two armed Wolf Hunters and their wolves next to the gate leading outside the city, just as Ryooshi had said.

Kiba looked to Ryooshi and she nodded, understanding that it was time for her to go to work. She darted across the street into the alleyway along the other hotel and Toboe went to go after her but Tsume stood in his way with a small, soft growl.

"She needs to prove herself," he reminded the pup and Toboe gave a small whimper of submission, but none of this went noticed by Ryooshi or the Hunters guarding the gate.

Ryooshi peered out from behind the brick she used for cover, forming a strategy. She darted down the alleyway and kept running when she reached the end, losing her cover. As she had predicted, the wolves with one the men spotted her and started barking at her, catching the Hunters' attentions.

"There's one!" one of them shouted, and they both ran toward her. "Shoot it! Kill it!"

Seeing the men neglect the gate, the pack ran out from their hiding place and toward it, but they were soon caught by one of the wolves who began barking at them. One of the men stopped, turned around and aimed at them. One by one the pack leapt over the gate, dodging the bullets fired by the Wolf Hunter that had spotted them. The other still ran after Ryooshi with his wolf.

The man ran toward them just as Toboe leapt over the gate, but Tsume was the one left. The wolf leapt at Tsume who leapt at him and they clashed mid-air, but Tsume grabbed a hold on the other wolf with his powerful jaws and a snap filled the night air. They landed in a pile of fur against the ground, both not moving and the Wolf Hunter came closer to inspect the mess of blood and fur. Once he was close enough Tsume leapt up and the last thing the man saw were fangs.

Tsume leapt over the gate and the group stared inside, waiting to see some sign of Ryooshi, now in their human forms.

"You think she ditched us?" Hige wondered.

"She's in just as much trouble as we are," Kiba reminded him. "She wouldn't risk it."

"Besides, Ryooshi's not like that," Toboe insisted. "She wouldn't sell us out like that…" He turned to Tsume and asked, "Right, Tsume?"

"How the hell should I know?" he snarled back.

"Would all stop fighting over it?!" Blue interjected. "She's one of us, isn't she? Why would she help us earlier back at the diner just to sell us out later?! Just leave her alone!"

They all jumped and turned their attention to the gate when they heard a loud, pain-filled yelp echo from the city beyond the gate.

"Ryooshi!" Toboe cried desperately and was about to jump the gate again but Tsume held him back, making him turn to him with a wide-eyed gaze and cry, "She might be hurt!"

"She might be dead!" Tsume shot back. "If that's the case, then that hunter isn't dead and he'll kill _you_, too!"

Toboe pouted, feeling tears come to eyes and they all watched through the gate to see if there was any sign of Ryooshi.

* * *

She slid herself in a U-turn on the concrete then bolted back toward the alley she'd come from. She noticed the other man go back but knew that Kiba and the rest could take down one…she just needed to get away from the one on her tail. Rounding into the alley she lost her footing and slammed into the wall of the building next to the hotel, letting out a small yelp of pain on impact and falling to the ground.

A growl sounded behind her, but she didn't move from her place, playing dead. Footsteps came hurrying behind her as well, then stopped next to the wolf. The footsteps, now walking, came up next to Ryooshi as she still played dead. Once the hunter knelt down, she leapt to her feet and jumped toward the other wolf as it growled then barked. She landed behind it and as it turned to clamp its jaws onto some part of her body she darted down the street.

A shot rang out behind her just as she ran from the attacking wolf and that wolf let out a loud, pain-filled yelp. Ryooshi came to a sliding stop, breathing heavily and wide-eyes in disbelief. She had heard right. The wolf was dead. Dread suddenly seized her senses. That Wolf Hunter had shot one of her kind that was helping him, and the thing that had squeezed her heart in a death grip was the fact that she _knew_ he didn't care.

Another shot and Ryooshi let out a yelp herself as a bullet struck her shoulder, but it seemed to bring her to her senses again and without turning to fight she ran as best she could toward the gate where the others were waiting. The Wolf Hunter ran after her, but she still had a good distance ahead of him, and soon she saw the rest of the pack waiting for her beyond the gate.

"Ryooshi!" Toboe called, a grin over his face, but it soon dropped when he saw that she was limping.

Without hesitation he leapt over the gate again, Tsume calling out after him to come back, but he ignored it. He passed Ryooshi and leapt at the Hunter running after her who had nearly caught up and the young wolf sank his teeth into the man's arm that was holding the machine gun and the man screamed in pain. Ryooshi turned to look on at Toboe's actions in shock and awe as the pup snapped the man's arm, making him scream again and fall to the floor.

Toboe let go of the Wolf Hunter's arm and ran toward Ryooshi as she still stared at him but she was snapped from her trance when he urged, "Hurry!"

She shook her shock away and they jumped over the gate together, landing on the other side and the whole group darted into the deserted horizon beyond the city gate. Once they felt they were far enough away they all stopped to catch their breath and Ryooshi sat, cradling her arm in one hand.

"Here, let me see," Toboe murmured, kneeling next to her and moving her hand. He started licking at the bullet wound in her shoulder, and she winced when he started but gave a contented sigh when she felt her pain melting away.

"We were worried you'd been killed," Toboe reported between licks. "I'm glad you're alright."

"We _certainly_ thought you'd ditch us," Hige chimed in.

"That was all _you_, Hige," Blue snapped then smiled at Ryooshi. "Toboe and I knew you wouldn't."

"Thanks," she nodded and patted Toboe's head to silently tell him that was enough and he stopped his licking.

"Too bad the runt left that guy alive," Tsume added. "Now he'll probably tell his superiors and start a hunt for us out here."

"That won't happen," Ryooshi replied, shaking her head. "They don't go any farther than they're assigned to go. They won't even ask their superiors to start looking for strays who've left the area. They figure they'll catch up with them later."

"Still," Kiba finally chimed in, "we should keep moving." He looked at Ryooshi and asked, "Can you walk?"

Ryooshi only nodded and without a word, Kiba started heading north, followed by the rest and Ryooshi and Toboe got to their feet and followed. Toboe stayed with her in case she needed assistance, but he noticed Tsume start to trail behind the other three to walk a few paces in front of them.

He glanced to the necklace around Ryooshi's neck and asked, "So, what was the chief's name that gave you that necklace?"

Ryooshi jumped with a start and looked at Toboe with wide eyes then registering his question, pulled the gem on her necklace up to gaze at it with a smile.

"I'm not sure really," she admitted. "I just called him Chief like everybody else."

"What was his son's name?" Toboe wondered. "The one you saved."

"His name was Runs with Horses," Ryooshi smiled. "That kid could run like he was almost flying."

"How'd you save him?" Toboe continued to question his friend with a smile.

"He was too young to swim when I'd met him," Ryooshi explained. "He fell into the river, so I jumped in after him and pulled him out."

"What makes you think this guy's village will still be exactly where it was two years ago?" Tsume inquired, suddenly standing right next to her. She gasped and looked up at him, as did Toboe, but the older wolf simply stared straight ahead, waiting for his answer.

"W-Well, I don't, really," she admitted. That made everyone stop dead. They could all hear the conversation going on, and as she said those last words, they all stopped and turned to gaze at her with wide eyes filled with disbelief.

"You _don't_?!" Tsume snarled. "What, are you sending us on some wild goose chase just so you can be around your own kind?!"

"He may not be in the same place he was when I met him," Ryooshi quickly explained, "but we're headed in the right direction! If and when they move, they always move somewhere in the northern regions. Trust me---!"

"_Trust_ you," Tsume growled, lowly. "_Trust you_?!"

Toboe hurried in front of Ryooshi to protect her, but the silver-haired man shove the young boy out of the way and grabbed Ryooshi by her uninjured arm to bring her closer to his face.

"Hige was right!" he snarled as Ryooshi tried to struggle out of his death grip, frightened. "We don't know a damn thing about you! Why should we _trust_ you?!"

"I helped you get out of the city, didn't I?!" Ryooshi cried, still struggling.

"Tsume! Let her go!" Toboe shouted, gripping the other man's arm to pull him away.

"So what if you helped us out of the city?!" Tsume growled, ignoring Toboe pulling on his arm. "So what if you helped us get away at the diner?! That doesn't mean you're not working for them?! You could be leading us into a trap right now! You _are_, aren't you?!"

A growl erupted from Ryooshi as she threw herself at him. He let go of her as they fell to the ground and she straddled his stomach with one hand on his neck, her nails sinking into his skin enough to leave indents.

"Don't you _ever_ imply that I'm working for those dogs!" she snarled at him as he stared at her in confused awe.

Toboe went to pull Ryooshi off of Tsume, but Kiba stopped him.

"Kiba, what the hell are you doing?!" Hige snapped. "Get her off of him!"

"Wait," he only replied.

"Those Wolf Hunters are nothing but killing machines!" Ryooshi continued, still snarling at Tsume, her hand still over his throat, but she didn't close it anymore than it was already digging into his neck. "I don't care if you really don't trust me. But it looks like you don't really have a choice, do you? I know more about these guys than anybody, and I _should_ know more about them for reasons you could never understand. Your 'asshole attitude' isn't the _worst_ thing I've dealt with. It doesn't even come _close_! Don't think you can ever scare me with it while talking about those asshole Wolf Hunters!"

She gave a howl of pain when Tsume grabbed the shoulder where she'd been shot, then grabbed the hand around his neck and shoved her onto her back as he hovered above her, her hands in his grip on either side of her head.

"I told you you didn't have to tell me shit about your problems," Tsume snarled back as she stared at him, not in terror, but in anger with a set jaw. "Well, it looks like I'm going back on my word. What the hell is the matter with you?!"

"Tsume!" Toboe called, but didn't move. "Get off of her!"

"Not until she tells us how the hell she knows all about these damn Wolf Hunters!" Tsume snarled back, not looking at the pup, but keeping his eyes on Ryooshi as he snarled at her, mockingly, "Speak."

"What am I, you're trained pet?!" Ryooshi barked back. "I don't take orders from lowlifes like you!"

"Fine," Tsume snapped, still holding her wrists as he stood up, taking her with him. He pulled her closer then shoved her back as hard as he could, making her stumble away from him as he barked, "Get outta here! We don't need you or your stupid Indian chief! We'll make it on our own!"

"That's not your call, Tsume," Kiba suddenly piped up and Tsume turned a wide-eyed expression at the white wolf that turned from shock to rage.

"What did you say?" he growled.

"You're outnumbered," Kiba replied. "You and Hige might want her to go, but Toboe and Blue want her to stay."

"Is that so?" Tsume growled, still enraged and he glared at Toboe and snapped, "Well?!"

"I want her to stay," Toboe replied without hesitation, unafraid of the older wolf. "She's not working for those Wolf Hunters."

"You can't possibly know that!" Hige blurted.

"Did she give us to them?" Blue questioned him irritably, turning his attention to her.

"Well, no, but Tsume's right," Hige replied. "She could be leading us to the _real_ trap!"

"I want her to stay, too," Blue said, looking at Tsume in resolution.

He looked at Kiba and observed, "You haven't said whether or not _you_ want her to stay. It seems to me like it's a tie."

"Then I'll break it," Kiba replied, calmly. "I want her to stay as well."

"You're askin' for trouble, Kiba," Hige warned. "She won't even tell us what her connection is to these hunters. If she's not working with 'em, then how does she know---?"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Ryooshi barked, drawing everyone's attention as she cradled her arm again. Toboe stepped closer to try to help her with her wound but she only shook her head when she caught his action. She then turned to Hige and set her jaw in her own resolution.

"You wanna know how I know their moves and strategies?" she asked, half mocking and half in honesty. "You _really_ won't trust me after I tell you this, but if it's what you want, I'll tell you." She stopped and swallowed before replying, "I used to be one of them."

She could feel the shock wash over all of them, even though she was sure Hige, Kiba and Tsume suspected it, she knew they were still shocked. There was no other answer was there? They didn't take live wolves as prisoners, and it's not like she could stay among them any other way. They killed all wolves…even the ones that helped them.

"Five years ago, my pack was gathered up by these guys and taken to a lab somewhere," she began when no one spoke. "I never saw the place because the cages they loaded us into were all covered with heavy, black tarps. Only when we were in the lab were the tarps lifted and we were spoken to by humans in camouflage that pointed guns at us.

"They wore the garb, but they're not military. They could never be, 'cause they brag too much about their operations. They're sloppy, unorganized, ruthless and they can't keep their mouths shut. Not really a special ops force at all, or any kind of ops force for that matter.

"The Wolf Hunters gave us a proposition: Join them to hunt down and kill every wolf, or die right there and then. Some of us resisted. Some. Others took up the offer, but the ones that resisted were shot until they were dead, and sometimes even after they'd stopped breathing they'd fire another round into the dead bodies 'just to make sure'."

"You took the offer," Tsume assumed, his fists and teeth clenched as he stared her down and she looked back at him.

"I regretted it every second after I did," Ryooshi continued. "I never appeared as a human in the years I spent as their hunter, not once. Some of them did, and some of them told the humans their names, but I never did. They gave me a number. 102. I was the one hundredth and second wolf they'd recruited."

"So, you hunted and killed your own kind just to save your own ass?!" Tsume growled.

"I was young," she replied. "Younger than Toboe at the time. I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I thought I was making a choice of survival over death. I wish they _had_ killed me."

"How did you escape?" Kiba wondered, sounding truly interested.

"I fought my way out of the facility we were kept in," she replied. "I didn't know where the hell I was going but once I got out of there, I ran as fast as I could in some random direction."

"How long were you with them?" Blue whispered.

"Three years," Ryooshi answered. "Like I said, I regretted every second."

"When did you end up in the Indian village?" Toboe asked in a raw voice.

"A month after my escape," she replied. "I spent two years there at Chief's request." She looked at Kiba and took a deep breath before saying, "So now you know. Apparently, I'm not to be trusted, right?"

Kiba stared at her in evaluation as she stared back at him with sorrow-filled eyes that looked pained to the core. She hadn't been with her kind for five years, at least not _hunting_ them. Before he could even think to accept or reject her, Toboe spoke up.

"I still want her to come," he murmured, drawing everyone's attention as he walked toward her and held her uninjured arm in his hands. "It's been five years since she escaped. If she wanted to kill any of us, she would have done it herself because those Hunters probably train their wolves that way. She helped us get out of the city and away from them. I think she's proven herself."

"Toboe---"

"He's right," Blue cut in before Ryooshi could object. "We kind of owe her. If it wasn't for her, we would have been captured or killed. I still want her to stay too."

Ryooshi stared at Blue in shock, but her attention was drawn to Hige as he said, "Well, I guess I was being a little too harsh. I didn't even know the whole story. I feel kinda bad for you now."

"Are you kidding me?!" Tsume snarled at Hige and the other wolf frowned at him.

"What?" he shrugged. "I have a right to change my mind, don't I?"

"But you were the one that didn't want her to come in the first place!" Tsume shot back.

"Oh, and like _you_ did?!" Hige snapped.

"Hell no, but it's not like I had much of a choice, is it?!" Tsume barked.

"You don't have a choice _now_ either," Kiba chimed in, drawing the other wolf's attention. "You're outnumbered, three to one."

"And what about you, Kiba?" Ryooshi chanced to ask, looking to the blue-eyed boy.

He stared back at her as she waited for his answer, evaluating her, making sure that everything she had said was the truth. He'd heard the disdain for the Wolf Hunters in her voice, and while she was telling her story, he heard the disdain for _herself_ in her tone. She would die before she betrayed her own kind again. He saw it in her eyes.

Kiba nodded his approval to her, making her smile and he looked at Tsume, saying, "Not it's _four_ to one."

Tsume growled then let out a roar of anger and started marching in the direction they'd been heading. The rest of the pack watched him walk away and Ryooshi felt like she could have died. For some reason, Tsume's opinion of her mattered to her even more than Kiba's or any of the other's. She was sure he truly hated her now.

"Well, we'd better follow him," Hige shrugged. "His sense of direction is crap when he's angry like that."

"Don't worry, Ryooshi," Toboe said, soothingly as they all began following Tsume northward and she looked at him. "He'll come around. I'm sure he liked you, even if he won't admit it. He didn't admit liking me."

"But did you ever do what _I_ did?" Ryooshi wondered, not really believing that sweet, innocent Toboe would hunt his own kind. Toboe lowered his head and shook it in the negative and Ryooshi gave a sigh, saying, "I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to challenge me now just to have an excuse to kill me."

"He won't," Toboe assured her. "He just needs to blow off some steam and he'll come talk to you about it."

"I doubt it," she sighed then ruffled Toboe's hair as she smiled, "Thanks for stickin' up for my, pup."

"I couldn't let them kick you out after you helped us like that," he grinned. "Blue is right, too. We owe you."

"No you don't," she replied, shaking her head. "No you don't."

* * *

**A/N:** wow, another long one. so you know the whole story of Ryooshi, and Tsume is _ticked_! lol! reviews?


	15. Sandstorm

**A/N:** ok, so i thought i jynxed it, cuz i couldn't get to writing the damn chappie at first, but i got it. howvere, it's not forced, so i hope it's just as good as the rest of the story has been. (i've been getting good reviews, that's why i can say this story is good. not great, but good) enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 15: Sandstorm**_

The wolf pack of six trudged through the empty space of desert from morning to noon until they came to a tall canyon with a trail running through it to, who knew where. Keeping an eye out and an ear open for any danger, the males kept the two females between them as they trailed down the canyon floor, the high noon sun beating on them relentlessly.

"Isn't it supposed to be fall?" Hige grumbled, pulling at his sweater collar. "It feels like summer!"

"Quit your complaining, porky," Tsume snapped as he walked in front with Kiba, Blue and Ryooshi behind them with Toboe and Hige bringing up the rear.

"Maybe we should take a rest?" Toboe suggested, cautiously, seeing the older wolf's foul mood. "Ryooshi's injured, remember?"

"Don't worry about me, Toboe," Ryooshi smiled, reassuringly. "I've had worse."

"Of course you have," Tsume muttered, and it was Blue who jumped in to defend Ryooshi with a scowl.

"What is the matter with you?!" she snapped. "You've been ticked off ever since we escaped the city!"

"Blue, I wouldn't rile him," Hige warned.

"I'm already riled," Tsume growled, but didn't turn to talk directly to them. "And I'm hungry. Where the hell do you find food in a place like this?"

"If we run into anything here, it would be a mountain lion or something like that," Kiba guessed.

"Of course," Tsume grumbled. "It couldn't be anything _easy_, right?"

A gust of wind blew at their backs making Ryooshi, Blue and Toboe stumble, but Tsume, Kiba and Hige held their footing and continued walking. Hige suddenly sneezed and frowned as he rubbed his nose and turned around to glance behind them. His eyes grew wide as he pushed Toboe with one hand as he still stared at something headed toward them.

"What?!" Toboe snapped and shoved Hige's hand away as he turned to see what had him in a stupor.

The young pup's eyes grew wide as well and at the same time he and Hige hurried to catch up with the girls in front of them. Hige grabbed Blue by the shoulders and ran her forward at top speed past Kiba and Tsume as Toboe did the same to Ryooshi. Kiba and Tsume stopped, frowned, looked at each other then looked behind them to see what the two were trying to out-run.

A huge, thick cloud of sand was gusting toward them faster than they were sure they could run. Kiba and Tsume looked at each other again and bolted after the four ahead of them.

"We'll never out-run that sand-storm!" Tsume shouted.

"We need to find shelter!" Kiba suggested.

"Look! There's a cave!" Hige shouted and zoomed Blue, who was as stiff as a board as he pushed her into the small cave that everyone else noticed was too small to fit the rest of them.

"Thanks a lot, porky!" Tsume growled as he and Kiba caught up to Toboe and Ryooshi, running side by side now.

"There's another one!" Toboe shouted, pointing to his left. Tsume grabbed his belt from behind and ran him into the cave as big as the first one had been.

"This way!" Ryooshi shouted to Kiba, taking his arm in hers and wheeling them into a third cave ahead of them, the sand storm on their heels. Ryooshi dove into the little cave, taking Kiba with her just in time as the sunshine coming in disappeared to leave the two in dim light as they back peddled deeper into the cave to avoid the whipping sand at the entrance blowing by them.

"That was _way_ too close," Ryooshi sighed, flopping onto her back. "I hate the desert."

She wasn't surprised when there was no reply from Kiba. She hadn't really expected one. Sighing again and sitting up, she leaned back on her hands, her legs outstretched in front of her to stare out at the sand whipping by the cave entrance. She then examined her feet, quickly becoming bored as she tapped her toes together. She glanced at Kiba a few times, then thought this the perfect time to get an answer to a question that had been bugging her.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" she began and when he turned his attention to her and nodded she asked, "When the others were giving their opinions of me, you never really said whether you were for or against me coming along, even after I told you all my story. I guess what I'm asking is, what _do_ you think?"

There was a gap of thoughtful silence as Kiba looked back out to the sand blowing past them outside.

"I'm guessing by your silence you don't trust me any more than Tsume does, right?" she assumed.

"It's not that I don't trust you," Kiba replied, still looking out at the sand storm passing by them. "You proved yourself by fighting to get away from those Wolf Hunters. I'm still trying to figure out why you want to help us. Why are you so insisted on coming with us?"

Ryooshi blinked a few times in surprise but looked to the entrance as well to give a small smile and answer, "I'm not sure exactly. Something about you guys drew me to you I guess. With Blue and Toboe it was because they were so nice, and when I saw you, you seemed nice too. Hige was a little irritated when I met him, but he still seemed like he could be friendly, and Tsume…"

She trailed off, not knowing what to say what drew her to him as the small smile that adorned her lips fell. She brought her legs up to her chest and leaned her forearms against them, her chin leaning on her arms.

"I hadn't seen any wolves in five years, other than the ones I killed or that killed with me," she murmured. "Seeing all of you free and doing whatever you wanted, not worrying about anything, really, it made me jealous. I thought if helped you guys, I could have that too. I guess I was stupid in thinking I could get away with it after everything I've done. Karma's biting me in the tail, I guess."

"You're wrong," Kiba replied, making her look up at him with wide eyes filled with surprise. "We've all gone through something, in this life or our past one's, that have seemed too horrible to come back from. That's how life is. There is nothing you do that you can't come back from, no matter who you've killed, or how many times you've killed, or even if you don't regret what you've done. If you keep going through life thinking you can't lead a full one, you'll be miserable forever, and you'll lose your chance to be happy. So instead of asking _me_ what I think of you, you should ask yourself what do _you_ think of yourself?"

Ryooshi stared at him in awe, taking in every word he had said as he only stared outside, not saying another word. All this time, she'd worried about what other people thought of her and all the while, her opinion of herself had been diminishing until it depended solely on what other people thought of her. She took a moment to think about what he told her to ask herself.

What _did_ she think of herself?

She smiled as she turned back to stare at the entrance and leaned her chin on her arms again as the answer came to her.

"I think I'll be ok, even if you guys throw me out later," she smiled, glancing at Kiba who glanced back at her with a small smirk before turning his attention to the entrance again.

"The storm should die down soon," he guessed and Ryooshi nodded in agreement then he asked, "You didn't tell me what you thought Tsume when you first met him."

Ryooshi jumped as if a chill had run up her spine and she laughed nervously as she replied, "Uh, well…that's 'cause I didn't wanna say how much of a jerk he was. I mean, the guy left me out in the rain instead of offering me a ride _out_ or it! How mean is that?! He's _always_ being mean to me! Well…you saw it, right? He didn't want me around."

"And yet, he seems to like you," Kiba replied.

"Eh?" Ryooshi grunted turning a crooked frown at him.

"If he didn't like you, he wouldn't have let you talk him into meeting us at the diner," he explained. "Not only that, he would have put up more of a fight in getting rid of you when we escaped the city, even if he _was_ outnumbered, four to one."

She stared at him with wide eyes again as a slight smirk started to curl her lips and she murmured, "Yeah…I guess you're right."

"Tsume isn't the kind to admit it if he likes you or not," Kiba explained. "He'd rather say he hates you than admitting how he really feels. He doesn't want to look soft."

"But I already know he is," Ryooshi replied. "I figured it out from the first time he saved me. Why would he be so mean to someone he saved?"

"I'm not all that sure about him," Kiba chuckled, lightly with a shrug. "All I know is, if he really hated you, he wouldn't bother talking to you."

Ryooshi smiled dreamily and nodded then flopped onto her back again, sprawling herself out.

"You like him, don't you?" Kiba suddenly asked and Ryooshi shot upright to stare wide eyes at him.

"What?!" she squeaked. "H-How could you even _think_ that?! Weren't you here when I told you how mean he was to me?!"

"That doesn't mean you haven't fallen for him," Kiba smirked, slightly and Ryooshi huffed, turning her nose up at the statement as she crossed her arms, but Kiba didn't fail to notice the blush over her cheeks.

"Don't be ridiculous," she muttered. "I'd like to have a male who would be affectionate and attentive, not mean and spiteful like Tsume."

"Oh, I'm sorry then," Kiba replied as Ryooshi glanced at him. "It seemed to me like you cared a lot more about _his_ opinion of you than anyone else's."

"And how did you misunderstand _that_," she wondered.

"The way you look at him, I suppose," he shrugged. "But I guess I was wrong."

Ryooshi took a moment before nodding, "Yes, you did."

They both turned back to the entrance and she sighed in boredom.

"We might as well get some sleep," Kiba suggested. "We were up all night."

Ryooshi nodded and curled up into a ball as Kiba did as well, and she rested her chin on her crossed paws, her tail tucked against her. She couldn't believe it had been that obvious to Kiba. She thought she was subtle about it, but apparently the old saying about the eyes being the windows into the soul was true. One thing had her mind reeling now, more than Kiba knowing her little crush: Should she tell Tsume?

She quickly dismissed that thought. He was angry with her now. He wouldn't want to know that she had a crush on him now after she had told her story. She would just have to wait this feeling out until it passed. That shouldn't be too hard. After all, Tsume _was_ a jerk, no matter how warm and fuzzy he was inside.

_Still_, she thought, _he __is__ kinda cute. I wonder if he'd even give me a second thought._

Before she could answer herself, she fell asleep, to the howling of the wind.

* * *

Tsume sat dangerously close to the entrance of the cave as Toboe sat further in, away from the wind whipping sand outside. The young pup had set his jaw in irritation as Tsume only stared out at the sand storm whipping by them. Not being able to hold it in any longer, Toboe moved toward the older wolf and shoved his shoulder to get his attention, making Tsume shoot an angry gaze at the runt.

"Why are you being so mean to Ryooshi?!" Toboe snapped, angrily and Tsume only scoffed with a sarcastic smirk and shook his head, turning his gaze out of the cave again. Toboe gritted his teeth and shoved his shoulder again, drawing Tsume's attention once more and he prompted, "Well?! Answer my question?!"

"Since when do _you_ care about what I think of other people?!" Tsume growled back.

"Because you obviously _like_ her, so you should treat her nicely!" Toboe barked back. "Why would you be so mean to someone you like?!"

"Did I toss you in this cave a little to hard?" Tsume wondered, sarcastically. "Did you hit your head a little too hard on the dirt, or one of these rocks? What makes you think I'd even _think_ of that mutt that way?"

"She's not a mutt!" Toboe argued. "And I've seen the way you are with her, Tsume! You're meaner to _her_ than anybody else in our pack!"

"She's not part of our pack!" Tsume barked back. "And the reason I'm so mean to her is because she hunted our own kind. I can't get past that."

"You got past it with Blue," Toboe reminded him.

"That was different," Tsume argued. "That she-wolf didn't know what she was doing. She didn't even _know_ she was a wolf until she met Cheza. Ryooshi knew what she got herself into."

"So you should feel sorry for her and not be mad it her," Toboe replied. "_I_ do."

"Pity her all you want, kid," Tsume retorted, gazing outside again. "You can probably pity her enough for the both of us."

"Why can't you just admit what you feel, Tsume?" Toboe groaned. "No one's gonna think you're weak or laugh at you. I think Ryooshi might be good for you. I mean…I think she likes you."

"You sound disappointed, runt," Tsume smirked at the young pup. "Have a thing for her, do you?"

"N-No!" Toboe sputtered, a blush over his cheeks.

"Now who's not admitting how they feel?" Tsume teased.

"Tsume! I don't have a thing for her!" Toboe shouted, making the other wolf laugh heartily as Toboe sighed in hopelessness.

"Get some sleep, runt," Tsume chuckled, calming himself.

"What about you?" Toboe wondered, curling himself up to sleep. "You should get some rest, too."

"I will, kid," Tsume assured him. "Don't you worry about me."

Toboe didn't say another word as he closed his eyes to sleep and Tsume stared out into the sandstorm still going outside. It was starting to die down but only a little. It would probably be a while before it finally died altogether. He couldn't help but think of what Toboe had said about Ryooshi with an amused smirk. He found it laughable that he would even _think_ of Ryooshi that way after what she'd told him.

And yet, now that he had time to think about it, both times his heart had skipped when she had been near him, and the one time he thought he was going to die when she fell into his arms as he had helped her up in the shack in the city. All were things he had dismissed at the time, but they were nagging for attention now. Why was he reacting to her that way? He couldn't really be falling for her, he didn't even know much about her.

Still, her smiling face popped into his mind's eyes and he couldn't help but smile. He thought she was attractive, but he hadn't let himself dwell on it. Now he could, for several hours at least, and the thing that had him puzzled was that he _wanted_ to think about her.

_She can't possibly be thinking about you right now_, he thought. _Why bother wasting your time? She doesn't like you, even if __Toboe__ thinks she does...the kid's not very good at reading something like __that__, right?_

He glanced at the sleeping pup and gave an exhausted sigh. What the hell was going on with him? Whatever it was, no way was he going to tell any of the others. Not even Toboe would know that Ryooshi was starting to feel a little too close to him, and he had no idea why that was.

* * *

**A/N:** i hope i'm not rushing the romance with this. i mean, they've only just realized they like each other and it's the 15th chappie. i think i did pretty good considering that in most of the fics i write, the characters are all over each other by like the third, fourth, fifth chappie...somewhere around there. anyway, i contemplated on who should go with whom in the caves, and i decided on this. Hige and Blue would end up together of course, i needed some alone time with Kiba and Ryooshi and Tsume and Toboe needed some too. it worked out nicely, i think. reviews?


	16. Chief Runs with Horses

**A/N:** And here we go! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 16: Chief Runs with Horses**_

Ryooshi groaned and stirred, but when she breathed in, she inhaled something fine that tickled her nose. She sneezed, her head shaking, violently as it rose from her paws and she breathed out, her nostrils flaring to rid her sniffer of the tickly invader. She glanced around and realized she was in almost complete darkness save for one shaft of light coming from the between the top of the cave and the pile of…_sand_?!

"Holy crap!" she yelped, shooting to her feet and looking to the place where Kiba had been lying across from her.

She saw his rump sticking out from the pile of sand left by the sand storm that had obviously died away. She hurried toward the sand and started digging rapidly where Kiba's head should have been, but he didn't move. Glancing at his tail she could think of no other way to see if he still lived. She chomped down on his tail and was immediately relieved when a muffled yelp came from under the pile of sand and his hind legs stood instantly. Ryooshi stepped back as Kiba pulled himself from the loose sand around him and shook the sand from his fur, sneezing as he did.

"Sorry about that," she quickly said when he looked at her.

"It's alright," he coughed, seeing the necessity and logic behind it, but curling his tail into him to lick it soothingly anyway. Looking around he glanced at the shaft of light then back at Ryooshi. "We have to get to the others. Start digging."

Ryooshi nodded and the two started digging at the pile of sand, making the hole bigger and bigger until the little cave was almost completely full of sand and the hole was big enough for them to squeeze through. Kiba ordered Ryooshi to go first, which she did, and once outside she stood on top of the layer of sand left by the storm, glancing around in the setting sun's light at where the caves the others had run into _should_ have been.

"They're buried!" she panicked as Kiba crawled from the hole she emerged from.

"You dig out Tsume and Toboe," Kiba ordered, calmly. "I'll get Hige and Blue."

The two ran to the caves their friends were located and started digging. Ryooshi could feel her heart thudding in her chest in panic. If they were buried alive, was hers and Kiba's digging futile? Did they even stand a chance at getting to their friends in time if they weren't dead already?

"Toboe!" Ryooshi called, her panic taking over. "Tsume! Say something, one of you! Make a sound or something! Let me know you're alive!"

She sucked wind when she heard a small whimper beyond the little hole she'd been digging at that was slowly getting bigger and bigger. She began digging even faster.

"Toboe!" she called, recognizing the pitch and tone of the whimper. "Hang on! I'm digging as fast as I can!"

She heard Kiba calling to Hige and Blue as he dug at their cave as well, and heard Hige call back faintly that they were alright, but she didn't stop digging. Even though she now knew Toboe was alive, she hadn't heard even a sarcastic remark from Tsume, and it frightened her.

A nose suddenly came out of the hole she'd been digging at, and soon, Toboe's head followed, then his body. Ryooshi stepped back to let him crawl out of the hole and he shook the sand from his coat with a sneeze.

"Tsume's still buried!" Toboe said, turning to where Ryooshi had been digging as he explained, "He'd been sitting right at the entrance when we fell asleep and I scooted a little further into the cave."

Ryooshi instantly started digging with him, ignoring the sound of sneezing from Hige and Blue behind her. She noticed Kiba jump to Toboe's other side and start digging, then Blue came up next to her with Hige on the other side of Kiba. They all dug until Ryooshi uncovered the tip of an ear.

"Tsume!" she shouted at it, hoping he didn't have enough sand in his ear to drown her out. She continued digging with the others until the ear was uncovered and she shouted at him again, all still digging.

Toboe shoved Ryooshi out of the way and leaned into the hole they'd made to bite down on the ear. A muffled growl of surprised anger came from the pile of sand and it exploded, as the others stepped back. Tsume stood out of the hole and shook himself of the loose sand in his fur then growled at them, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

"Which one of you bit me?!" he snarled as they all returned to their human forms.

"How else were we supposed to figure out if you dead or alive?!" Ryooshi shot back, not allowing Toboe to reply. "Did you not notice that you were buried alive?!"

Tsume growled still, turning to Ryooshi and snarling, "So it was _you_!"

"I didn't say that," Ryooshi snapped. "I said there was no other way to get your tail moving!"

"We should have ditched you at the gates to the city!" Tsume barked. "You think you're my alpha now that you've bitten my ear?!"

"I _didn't_ do it," she insisted. "But it's nice to know that's what you think."

"Screw you!" Tsume snarled.

"Enough," Kiba called calmly, making the two freeze and turn to him. "We should get going. It's already sunset, and we might need to find food now that we're rested."

"Why don't we just make a meal out of the mutt here?" Tsume wondered, nodding at Ryooshi who glared at him.

"I'm very gamey," she shot back.

"In more ways than one," Tsume retorted, walking past her.

"You wanna go, asshole?!" she barked, making him stop and turn to her.

"No, I want _you_ to go," he replied.

"Knock it off already!" Hige intervened, irritably. "You guys are worse than a couple of puppies fighting over a chew toy!"

"Come on," Kiba called, heading down the canyon trail. "The trail ends up ahead and leads into a little more desert. We might find some food."

"Wouldn't anything edible have run away to hide from the storm?" Blue wondered as the pack started walking down the trail as well, Ryooshi and Tsume exchanging a few dirty looks as he walked away from her.

"There might be vultures looking for dead bodies left by the storm," Kiba replied. "We'll either eat the meat they find or eat _them_."

"Now _that's_ gamey meat," Hige smirked, jokingly.

"It's better than nothing," Toboe reminded him, then turned to Ryooshi as they trailed toward the back of the pack. He saw her long expression as she stared at Tsume's back and he nudged her, gently making her look at him in wonder as he said, "Don't let him get to you, Ryooshi. He's always irritable when he hasn't eaten in a while."

"Yeah, well---"

"You smell that?" Hige suddenly inquired of the group, and they all stopped to look at him.

"Smell what?" Blue wondered.

"Something cooking," he grinned, hungrily and they all frowned at him, then turned to sniffing the air.

"Do you hear that?" Toboe suddenly asked them and they frowned at him this time.

"What are you guys picking up that---?"

Ryooshi cut herself off when she also caught a scent and a sound in the air. She frowned, her ears perking as Toboe's had, sniffing the air as Hige was doing and the others tried to smell and hear what they were.

"I smell it," Ryooshi murmured, making everyone look at her in wonder at her tone of awe. "And I hear it." She looked ahead of them on the trail and saw a dark, thin cloud rising from the ground in the sunset colors of red, orange and pink. "This way!"

She shot off down the trail, followed by the rest calling after her to wait for them. She knew exactly what was at the end of that canyon, but she never guessed it would be so close to the city. Then again, they'd covered a good distance since they'd left the city.

"Where the hell is she taking us?!" Tsume snarled, still following the rest of them as they followed Ryooshi down the trail. "And what the hell did you guys---?!"

"I hear it!" Blue reported, taking the words right from Tsume's mouth as he realized he could smell it too. She did it again when she said, "I can hear it too! It sounds light drums and smells like---!"

"Meat," Tsume growled, hungrily. "The mutt pulled through, apparently."

"Chief!" Ryooshi called, a grin over her features, lighting up her face. "Chief!"

"Who?" Hige asked Kiba, but he only shook his head as they kept running after her.

The drums suddenly stopped as they reached the end of the trail and stopped, panting to catch their breath. Ryooshi grinned at the village of people they could still clearly see, even in the failing light, a few yards away from the end of the canyon. Ryooshi grinned, even though out of breath, but when she stepped toward the people around the fire, the men picked up spears from the ground and lifted them toward the pack.

"Whoa, what the heck---?!" Hige asked, his hands shooting into the air in surrender. "Tell them we come in peace, Ryooshi!"

"They speak English," Ryooshi replied, raising her arms up as well in surrender then telling the men as she walked toward them, "I'm a friend of your Chief's. These are my friends…" She gestured to her pack behind her. "We need shelter. Please just tell Chief---"

"You're lying!" one of the men said, poking the head of his spear gently into her stomach as she came close enough and she stopped. "Our Chief would never become friends with the white man! They treat us like we are outcasts in our own country!"

"Well, it's a good thing for you, we're not white men," Ryooshi replied and slowly moved to lift her necklace up for all to see. "He gave this to me for saving his son, Runs With Horses. If he's here, he can vouch for that. My name is Ryooshi."

The man in front of her suddenly lowered his spear, his eyes wide, his jaw slack and shock and awe as he breathed, "Ryooshi." He turned to the other people and called, "Our Chief's savior!"

The others all murmured in awe and Ryooshi lowered her necklace as she frowned at the man and asked, "What do you mean your _Chief's_ savior? I saved his _son_."

The man's face became long as he turned back to her and asked, "You did not know?"

"Know what?" Ryooshi asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Our former Chief, Mighty Hawk has gone to join the Great Spirits," the man replied, his head bowed either in sorrow, respect, or both.

Ryooshi's eyes widened and her heart sank as she realized he meant that Mighty Hawk had died. She looked back at the man and asked, "Then, your Chief now is Runs with Horses?"

The man nodded mutely and Ryooshi frowned in thought. He had been fifteen when she had rescued him from drowning in a river where they were camped two years ago, which means he would now be seventeen or eighteen and he was already a chief!

"He is a young chief," the man explained, seeming to read her expression, "but he is wise, and reasonable, as his father, the Great Mighty Hawk was."

"I'm sure he is," Ryooshi smiled then glanced back at the pack of wolves behind her, still standing at the entrance to the trail before saying, "My friends that have come with me are wolves, like me. We need shelter from the white man who is hunting us. May I speak to Chief Runs with Horses to ask him if they may stay with me?"

"Of course," the man replied, then gestured toward one of the tents beyond the fire and entreated, "This way."

Ryooshi followed the man toward the tent but turned to the pack and mouthed that they stay there.

"What is she doing?" Tsume couldn't help but wonder as they watched her enter the tent.

"She's probably speaking to the chief about us," Kiba theorized.

"Man, that food looks good," Hige groaned, rubbing his stomach and licking his lips as he eyed the huge piece of meat on a spit over the fire.

"Quit doing that," Toboe nearly whined, smacking Hige's hand from his stomach. "You're making me hungrier!"

"How long do you think her talk with the chief will take?" Blue asked Kiba in general, but not being able to help her stomach from churning with hunger at seeing the meat as well.

"She'll probably get us shooed away so she can live comfortably," Tsume retorted. "She's not fighting for us in there, she's fighting for _herself_."

"Ryooshi's not like that, Tsume, and you know it," Toboe snapped.

"You're too trusting, runt," he shot back.

* * *

Ryooshi stepped into the tent the man had led her to but didn't go in himself. She stood on one side of a small fire illuminating the space, a man with long, black hair wearing brown leather from shirt to shoes and a huge crown of feathers over his head sat on the other side of the fire. She instantly recognized the deep brown eyes and handsome features of the boy she knew two years ago that was quickly thrust into manhood.

"Chief Runs with Horses," Ryooshi nodded, respectfully.

"Huntress Wolf," the man smiled, nostalgically then gestured that she sit, which she did. "Many moons ago, my father made a promise to you in exchange for saving my life. I am happy to fulfill this promise for you."

"I heard about your father just now," Ryooshi told him. "I'm, so sorry."

"I do not regret that my father has gone to the Great Spirits," Chief Runs with Horses replied. "Now, he may watch over all whom he cares for when they depart from my sight. Even you, he watched over for a year. He would not allow the savior of his son to go on unguided."

"I'm grateful," Ryooshi nodded with a small smile then got to the point. "Chief Runs with Horses, I seek shelter in your village from the white man. They are hunting me and my friends, whom I brought with me. May they also stay in your village? I do not wish to take advantage of your hospitality, but they have nowhere else to go. The city beyond the canyon is overrun by Wolf Hunters."

"It is unfortunate that _this_ is your reason for returning, but I'm happy you're here, nonetheless," Chief Runs with Horses replied. "Of course, your friends may stay here. You know that your kind are always welcome here."

"Thank you, Chief Runs with Horses," Ryooshi replied, bowing her head respectfully. "For a chief so young, you are wise, as one of your men told me. I'll tell my friends it's alright for them to come closer. They're standing at the edge of the canyon trail."

"Please, let them eat as well," Chief Runs with Horses entreated. "The storm sent the animals into hiding. I'm sure you haven't had anything to eat for some time. They may join the people in celebrating our prosperous hunt beyond the sand."

"Thank you again, Chief," Ryooshi smiled, gratefully as she stood. "I promise, we won't stay more than a month. I wouldn't want to impose on your generosity."

"There is no imposition," Chief Runs with Horses insisted. "Stay as long as is necessary. We welcome the company of mighty hunters such as you."

"Y-Yes," she smiled, hesitantly. "Thank you again. Excuse me."

She hurried from the tent and faced the pack now sitting at the edge of the canyon trail and once she'd caught their attention she beckoned them toward her. They stood and hurried to her as she met them half-way.

"Alright," she whispered. "He's letting you stay. It's the Chief's son, Runs with Horses who's Chief now, but he's still letting us stay."

"For how long?" Kiba wondered.

"As long as we want," Ryooshi replied. "He's repaying me for saving his life. He said to go ahead and have at the food."

"Awesome!" Hige grinned, still eyeing the meat on the spit that one of the men was cutting pieces off of.

"Try not to make a pig of yourself, porky," Tsume snapped. "You'll get us kicked out."

"I doubt it, but try to restrain yourself anyway," Ryooshi agreed as they started to walk toward the fire and Chief Runs with Horses emerged from his tent.

"Everyone," he called as the wolves reached the radius of the village and stopped. "These wolves are taking shelter here from the white man. Treat them kindly, for the green-eyed she-wolf is my savior, Ryooshi."

The crowd of Indians gave out cheers and calls at their Chief's word as Ryooshi led the wolves toward him.

"Chief Runs with Horses," she began. "These are my friends: Kiba, Tsume, Hige Toboe and Blue."

"It is an honor to meet the friends of the Huntress Wolf," Chief Runs with Horses replied. "Please, take food and drink and rest. You must be exhausted from your journey and your escape from the sand storm."

"Food," Hige called hungrily, heading for the meat to pull off a piece for himself as Blue hurried after him.

"Hige, don't be rude!" she called, hurrying after him and Ryooshi only shook her head in hopelessness.

Chief Runs with Horses suddenly gestured to someone, catching Ryooshi's, Kiba's, Tsume's and Toboe's attention. Two squaws came toward Ryooshi and took her arms firmly in their hands, making her yelp slightly in surprise and glance between them.

"Um, Chief---?"

"You remember our tradition to the new comers speakers, don't you, Ryooshi?" Runs with Horses asked with a surprisingly mischievous smirk over his lips.

"No!" Ryooshi yelped, now trying to struggle against the squaws. "Don't make me---! No! Runs With Horses! Kiba! Toboe! Help me!"

"What are they gonna do to her?" Tsume wondered with a sadistic smile of his.

"In a few moments, you will see," Chief Runs with Horses replied and walked away to celebrate the hunt with his people as the three wolves frowned at each other.

* * *

**A/N:** hee hee. oh, i'm horrible aren't I?  
Ryooshi: YES! YOU ARE!  
Tsume: don't be such a pup, mutt.  
Ryooshi: easy for YOU to freakin' say! you'r not the one who has to---!  
Me: (slaps hand over Ryooshi's mouth) shut up! you'll give it away! uh...reviews?


	17. Parable of the Moon

**A/N:** and here it is! the next chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 17: Parable of the Moon**_

"Hey! Knock that off! It's a tail, not a play thing! Ow! Hey! I'm delicate ya know?! Get that away from me! I'm not putting that on! No! Don't you dare---! Ah!"

"W-What are they doing to her in there?" Toboe wondered, cautiously as he, Chief Runs with Horses and the rest of the pack sat around the fire, eating and resting.

"Washing and preparing her," Chief Runs with Horses replied over the yelps and objections Ryooshi still gave inside a tent not too far away.

"For what?" Tsume couldn't help but wonder, and Toboe heard only a slight tone of concern but concern nonetheless.

"A ceremony of sorts," the Chief replied. "I am allowing all of you to stay in our village, and as speaker for your group, there is a task she must perform as gratitude for my generosity."

"Oh, this should be fun," Hige smirked as Blue leaned back against him from where she sat in front of him.

"But, isn't Kiba leader of the pack?" Blue recalled.

"I sensed it was someone else in your pack who was the alpha," Runs with Horses replied. "However, when Huntress Wolf lived with us, she was witness to many ceremonies such as these from people seeking asylum in our village that she knows the requirements as well as if she were part of our tribe."

"I see," Kiba nodded. "What exactly is the task she has to perform?"

"It is something that cannot be described," Runs with Horses replied with a mysterious smile. "It is something that must be witnessed. However, it is not as horrible as Huntress Wolf is making it sound in there."

Another yelp came from the tent, making all of them jump and one of the squaws came from inside the tent to walk calmly toward Chief Runs with Horses. She knelt down, whispered something in his ear and he nodded as she stood again. He gestured to the musicians to start the music and they began beating their drums, and shaking their rattlers.

The wolves frowned at each other but their obvious question was soon answered when Ryooshi came _dancing_ out of the tent she'd been in. She had her own instrument which she shook when the music called for it as she still preformed the Indian dance and as she drew closer to the fire, the pack could see that she was wearing different clothing and her hair was done up differently as well.

Feather on top of her head were sticking out of her hair which were held by two leather cords seen running across her forehead which also tied up two, small ponytails that rested on her shoulders when she was still, but as she still danced, they bounced loosely on her shoulders. She still wore her black onyx necklace which she never took off, and wore even in her wolf form.

They had smeared a line of red paint above a line of green paint on her right cheek, and the outfit she now wore was light tan, brown and blue died material. The skirt fell to her knees and the top was cut in a triangle, the tip just covering her mid-drift while the base wrapped around her shoulders. Brown leather sandals tied up to mid-shin the pack couldn't help but snicker only slightly at her expression when she looked at the Chief they sat with. She wasn't happy.

Runs with Horses only smiled back. For a Chief who was wise and reasonable, he showed his age of seventeen when he smiled mischievously at a well executed plan such as this one.

Ryooshi started circling the fire and once she'd gone around it once, she ended up in front of the Chief and the music stopped just as she did, panting from dancing. She knelt onto her knees and looked up at the dark night say and howled at the high hanging moon. Runs with Horses glanced at the other wolves around them and silently entreated them to join her. Glancing around at each other they did and they all noticed Ryooshi seem to relax just a little bit.

They all stopped together and Ryooshi bowed her head in respect as she said, "Chief Runs with Horses, I humbly and gratefully thank you for your generosity in sheltering myself and my friends from the Wolf Hunters. I hope you call upon me for this debt to be repaid someday."

"It is _my_ debt you are repaying, Huntress Wolf," he reminded her. "But if you wish, I will ask something of you some day. In the meantime, the ceremony is concluded. Please sit with your friends and enjoy yourself."

"Thank you, Chief," Ryooshi replied, bowing again then standing to walk toward him and sit on his right, as was required. She wouldn't have minded so much if Tsume hadn't been sitting on the other side of her. She was sure he was going to give her some sarcastic remark about the dance, or something. She braced herself for the inevitable when he leaned closer to her, his hand reaching for something.

"Let me see that," he requested, pulling the instrument she still held from her hands and examining it. Ryooshi frowned at him in wonder as he only looked at the thing. He was really interested in it and she couldn't figure out why. He shook it and gave a genuine smile at the rattling sound inside then looked at her and inquired, "What's in it?"

"I-I don't know," she replied, honestly and shocked that he was speaking seriously. "Beans or rice or something?"

He nodded, glancing at the thing again then tossed it back to her, which she quickly caught.

"Never thought a wolf could dance like that," he smirked sarcastically, and her shock turned to irritation as she set her jaw and looked back at the fire. "That's a nice little outfit you're wearing too, mutt."

"Shut up," she growled, lowly. "And can you _ever_ stop calling me that?"

"Nope," Tsume blurted. "It's like when I call Toboe or Hige runt and porky."

"So I guess I should be _flattered_, is that what you're saying?" she shot back.

"No," he replied. "I'm saying get used to it because I'm not gonna call you anything else."

Ryooshi shot a burning gaze at him and he only smirked back, tauntingly. She threw the instrument at him, which he caught with a start, and she stood to walk away to the tent she'd come out of. The rest of them watched her in wonder at the outburst and the wolves turned glares to Tsume who looked back at them when he felt he was being stared at.

"What?" he shrugged.

"What did you say to her to make her angry?!" Toboe asked for the rest of them as Runs with Horses glanced around at the wolves in wonder.

"I didn't say anything!" Tsume argued. "It's not my fault she's touchy about what I call her!"

"You don't know _anything_ about females," Blue muttered, standing and starting toward the tent Ryooshi had gone into. On passing behind Tsume she smacked the back of his head with the back of her hand, making him jump and glare up at her but before he could say anything she was already too far away.

Blue stepped up to the tent entrance and called, "Ryooshi? It's Blue. Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure," was the weary sounding reply and Blue moved the flap of the tent entrance away to step in. Ryooshi sat on the floor, her hair still done in its Indian style, but her own clothes were back on. She was sitting Indian style with the instrument in her lap as she only stared at it, even as Blue sat next to her.

"That was an impressive dance, you know?" she smiled. "I don't think I'd have been able to do that."

"It's not that hard," Ryooshi murmured with a shrug, still not looking at the other she-wolf. "When I was living here I was taught all kinds of dances. Once you know the basic steps you can pretty much do any of the other dances."

"I still think it's impressive though," Blue smiled.

"Thanks," Ryooshi sighed, picking at the instrument in her lap. There was a pause for a moment before she said, "Do you have nick-names for the others, Blue?"

Blue frowned at her for a moment, but when she didn't look back at her she thought for a moment then replied, "No. I pretty much call them all by their names. Why?"

"Tsume calls me mutt," she grumbled with a slight pout. "I tried to get over it, but I'm not some half-breed. It's like he's insulting me on purpose to try and rile me up. Why the hell does he have to be so mean?!"

Blue stifled her smile at Ryooshi's irritation but didn't laugh. She could tell she was starting to care about Tsume. They all saw the way she looked at him, and they all saw the way Tsume treated her. The two liked each other and either didn't know it or didn't want to admit it.

"You want my advice?" Blue whispered and Ryooshi nodded. "As much as you might _hate_ what he does and says, you should pretend it doesn't bother you at all. Just ignore it."

"What good would _that_ do?" Rooshi wondered, finally looking up at the other she-wolf.

"He'll get riled that you're not reacting to him anymore," Blue smirked slyly. "Don't you wanna see him as upset as you get when he's being a jerk to you?"

Ryooshi nodded, a sly smirk to match Blue's creeping to her lips. They both stood and Ryooshi threw her arms around Blue for a hug.

"Thanks, Blue," she murmured and pulled away with a grin.

"You're welcome," Blue smiled, stepping to the tent entrance to lead the way back to the fire. They caught the Chief's attention and he smiled at Ryooshi as she took her seat next to him again.

"Is everything alright, Huntress Wolf?" he hoped and Ryooshi nodded.

"Done with you tantrum, mutt?" Tsume blurted.

Ryooshi glanced at Blue who had taken her place with Hige, bit her lower lip slightly then turned her head a touch toward Tsume's direction and calmly replied, "Yes."

Tsume gave a split-second frown at her as she turned back to face the fire. He'd expected another outburst, but she wasn't doing anything. What had Blue done to make her so calm? He slumped slightly as he looked back at the fire in thought. She was no fun like this. He'd have to think of another way to rile her up.

"Hey, mutt," he called, and Ryooshi took a silent, deep breath as she turned her gaze at him.

"Yes?" she replied, calmly.

"What happened to your clothes?" he wondered. "You change?"

"Yes, I did," she answered. "Why?"

"What for?" he asked. "The other outfit was better than your own raggedy clothes."

Ryooshi's eyes widened in rage, but she quickly drew herself back from killing him by balling her hands into fists in her lap. She glanced at his clothes and noticed the sleeves of his jacket and couldn't pass up the opportunity to shoot back at him. She reached out with one hand and picked at the torn part of his sleeve of his jacket, catching his attention and he glanced between her hand and her face.

"What?" he asked and Ryooshi pulled her hand from his sleeve.

"You call _my_ clothes raggedy," she retorted, calmly. "Both your sleeves are torn."

"It's the style!" Tsume snapped.

"Ok, sure," Ryooshi scoffed, turning back to the fire and shaking her head a little. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Tsume staring at her in disbelief then heard him growl as he stood and walked around to the other side of the Chief to sit between Toboe and Kiba. She smirked to herself when he sat with a jutting lower jaw and looking away from her direction.

_Good_, she thought. _For once __he__ can sulk because of __me__ and __my__ smart mouth_.

"Huntress Wolf," Chief Runs with Horses called, gently and Ryooshi turned his attention, a little reluctantly, toward him. "Would you and your friends like to accompany us on the hunt tomorrow afternoon?"

"Oh, I'm sure the others would like to, but I don't think I can accompany you," she replied, quickly. He sensed her reason for not going. She had told him and his father what she had done before stumbling upon their village.

"We are not hunting for sport, Huntress Wolf," he reminded her, drawing her attention. "We hunt for food to survive. We are not Wolf Hunters."

"I know that," she replied, gently.

"Then you know there is nothing wrong with hunting, if it is out of necessity," he hinted.

"Yes, but…I would prefer the others not see me as the huntress I am named to be," she answered. "It's a side of me they can do without."

There was a pause as she turned to stare at the fire and Runs with Horses gave a scoff as he thought to himself, drawing Ryooshi's attention again.

"What is it?" she inquired, her interest piqued.

"Something my father once told me," he explained. "Though the moon shines brightly in the sky, sometimes she becomes embarrassed when she shines _too_ brightly, and does not wish to be seen, so she hides herself. But, she returns, brighter than ever."

Ryooshi frowned, not understanding what he meant, and he saw in her gaze that it had gone over her head.

"I did not understand it at first either," he assured her. "It was when I was ashamed of something I'd done. So ashamed, that I would not play with the other boys, or go out of the tent but for a few times. It had been this way for too long. My father meant that it was acceptable too hide if I was embarrassed, but like the moon hides itself for a certain period of time, _my_ time for hiding was over. And even after hiding for so long, I would shine more brightly to those around me after my shame.

"Your own shame for your own actions is no different. You have been hiding for nearly five years now, I think it is safe to say your time is for hiding is over. Let yourself shine brightly now, Huntress Wolf."

Ryooshi felt near tears as she swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, whispering, "Thank you, Chief. You have grown wise in two years. It's wonderful."

"I am only as wise as far as my father has taught me," he replied, humbly. "Will you come with us on the hunt?"

"You're going too?" Ryooshi frowned in wonder.

"I always do," he nodded, then smirked, "The hunter's blood has not left my veins yet."

Ryooshi gave a giggle and nodded as she replied, "Well if you're going, I think I should too. You might need me to save your life again."

"Then I would be in your debt again," he replied. "Sleep in my tent tonight."

"Oh, no, thank you, Chief," she objected, gently. "I should stay with the others. I wouldn't want them to be jealous because I'm getting special treatment."

"Very well," he nodded. "The tent you were dressed in will belong to yourself and your friends, then."

"Thank you again, Chief," she said, bowing her head respectfully.

She lifted her head to gaze up at the moon and smiled. She knew Runs with Horses was right. She'd been hiding herself for a long time, and frankly she was getting sick of it. She suddenly didn't care what Kiba, Hige, Blue, Toboe or even Tsume thought of her, because _she_ thought she was just fine the way she was. So what if they didn't think she was done with the Wolf Hunters? She _knew_ she was, and she knew she would be for the rest of her life.

"And so, she shines even brighter than the moon when out of hiding," Runs with Horses murmured to her and she grinned back at him with a definite nod.

* * *

**A/N:** let me start out by saying, that little parable was _not_ easy for me to make sense of. no i didn't hear it anywhere in a an indian movie, or anywhere. i made it up so i won't be surprised if any of you reviews and say "what the heck was all that moon stuff about?" and during the whole dance thing, i was playing Visions of a Flame on theWolf's Rain OST. *giggle* ok, i'm done. reviews?


	18. Midnight Comfort, Morning Confession

**A/N:** yay! the next chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 18: Mid-night Comfort, Morning Comfession**_

"He invited us on the hunt tomorrow?!" Toboe grinned as Ryooshi led the pack into the tent they'd be spending the night in.

"Yup," she nodded as they trailed in. "I'm sure he'll be grateful to have a few of us get down and dirty with the hunt."

"Especially _you_, right?" Tsume smirked, sadistically. "Or does he not know about your past in hunting wolves?"

"Actually, he does," Ryooshi replied, unfazed. "That's not why he asked. And besides, wasn't it _you_ that said you can't forget what you are? I'm a wolf, aren't I? Don't we _hunt_ our food?"

"She's got you there, Tsume," Hige laughed as he sat down in the spot he planned to sleep.

"Shut your fat mouth, porky!" Tsume snarled as Blue gave Ryooshi two thumbs up behind Tsume's back. Frankly, Ryooshi wasn't planning on getting him back for making her feel horrible, she just wasn't going to put up with his smart remarks about her past anymore.

"We should get some rest," Kiba cut in before the 'discussion' got too heated, sitting in the place where he was going to sleep.

"Hey, runt, keep Kiba warm," Tsume muttered as he shoved Toboe toward the alpha.

"What for?" Toboe wondered, sitting next to Kiba, but Tsume said nothing as he stepped toward Ryooshi as she sat herself near the entrance of the tent.

"Move over a little," he ordered her and Ryooshi looked up at him with a frown.

"Why?" she asked, honestly and Tsume sighed, rolling his eyes as he stepped around her and closer to the entrance then sat.

"Move your tail over," he struggled against shoving her over. She moved, frowning at him as she did and he got himself comfortably laying down. She glanced around the tent and frowned at all the space in it then looked back at him.

"Why are you over here with me when there's a whole bunch of room?" she asked, drawing his attention to her. "As far as I can tell, you don't even _like_ me."

"I came over here to watch out for the rest of us," he retorted. "If I sleep by the entrance, and an intruder shows up, I can chomp down on his leg and his scream will sound an alarm." He turned over on his side to face the tent entrance as Ryooshi stared at him and he muttered, "And I never said I didn't like you."

She could tell he hadn't wanted her to hear but she did, and she couldn't help but argue, "Yes you did. You said I pissed you off. That I annoyed you."

"In either of those statements did you hear the words 'I don't like you'?" he retorted and Ryooshi thought back, not only on those two statements, but on _everything_ he'd ever said to her. She had to admit he was right. He never said he hated her or that he disliked her. She turned back to him and couldn't help but smile and he frowned in confusion as he didn't hear her say anything else, making him look over his shoulder at her.

"What?" he grunted, seeing her smiling and not being able to help wondering why she was doing it.

"N-Nothing," she sputtered, shaking her head quickly, her smile dropping and she turned to face her back to him and lay down on her side.

She allowed herself to smile again, feeling her heart flutter at the thought of Tsume not hating her guts like she had thought he did. She shivered, suddenly feeling the cold and her teeth started to chatter only slightly. She covered her mouth with both hands and closed her eyes to try to sleep. She couldn't understand why she was suddenly feeling so cold tonight when she had been fine the night before in the cave with Kiba.

"_Now_ what's wrong with you?" Tsume asked, irritably.

"Nothing," she replied shakily, quickly lowering her hand to do so then whipping it back up to cover her mouth again.

"You don't know how to lie very well," he muttered, and she heard him shuffling behind her. She frowned and was about to look over her shoulder when she saw his arm wrap around her and her eyes grew wide in shock and awe as he pulled her hand from her mouth to lay it in front of her, his arm aligned with hers. She gave a small gasp when he pulled her only slightly toward him.

"Ts-Tsume?" she sputtered, not looking at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Can-Can I…turn around?" she asked, not feeling very comfortable that he was behind her.

"Whatever," he groaned, tiredly. He lifted his arm and she quickly spun around to face him, his eyes closed, and she laid down again. His arm instantly wrapped around her again and pulled her a little closer, but this time she scooted a little closer as well and he muttered, "Are you done moving around now?"

"Yes," she nodded, even though his eyes were still closed.

"Good, now I can get some sleep," he yawned, moving his free hand to lay it under his head and Ryooshi bit the corner of her lip in thought.

She hesitantly snuggled against his chest only a little, her hands in front of her, afraid to wrap them around him or even touch him. She didn't want him to get mad and shove her away. She liked the fact that he had his arm around her and that he was so close to her. Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, she prayed he couldn't feel it too, or the skip it made when he rested his chin on the top of her head.

_Well, if you weren't sure you liked him earlier, you certainly do __now__, don't you?_ she thought to herself and smiled in satisfaction. _I wonder if I should tell him soon how I feel about him. No, I'll just let things go the way they are. I don't wanna scare him or anything._

She smiled when he sighed tiredly and she felt the slow, steady rhythm of his heart as he started falling asleep. It helped her to fall asleep, but just before she did, she took the chance and wrapped her arms around his chest and smiled a little wider when he didn't move or get angry and only pulled her a touch closer in impulsive slumber.

* * *

Groaning and stirring, Tsume and Ryooshi tried to escape the blinding morning sunlight filling the tent by turning away from it, but as Ryooshi rolled onto her side she was met by a pair of boots. Frowning at them and rubbing the sleep from her eyes she looked up at the body the boots were attached to and found Toboe grinning at the two of them, widely.

"Good morning!" he cheered, still grinning and Tsume gave a groan behind Ryooshi as she stared with wide eyes at Toboe. She knew exactly why he was grinning. Suddenly feeling like she was being watched, she glanced behind her to see Hige, Blue and Kiba on the other side of Tsume who hadn't realized what was going on.

"Morning, you two," Hige smirked mischievously. "Did you sleep well?"

"We didn't do anything!" Ryooshi yelped quickly, shooting to her feet and wobbling a bit from lack of stretching. Tsume's arm, which had been around her waist, made a thud onto the dirt, kicking dust into the air as he stayed lying on the ground, still trying to sleep. "We were just…keeping each other warm. But not like that---!"

"We know, already, calm down!" Hige laughed.

"We always knew you two had a thing for each other," Blue smiled, her hands on her hips. Ryooshi was thankful Kiba was choosing to just smile and not say anything.

"I'm trying to sleep, here," Tsume grumbled and reached his hand out to find Ryooshi, but it came up empty.

"Aw, look," Toboe still grinned, pointing at Tsume's groping hand then looking at Ryooshi and saying, "He can't sleep without you!"

Ryooshi sighed in exasperation and kicked Tsume's hand making him groan tiredly again and finally open his eyes. He sat up and looked at the crowd around him as Ryooshi placed a hand over her face in embarrassment.

"What's for breakfast?" he simply asked and Ryooshi stared at him with wide eyes.

"Don't you care that they just saw us lying together?!" she snapped as he stood up, rubbing his eyes.

"Actually, I don't," he blurted. "I'm hungry."

"The villagers have some food ready for us," Kiba reported. Without another word, he and Tsume walked out of the tent as Ryooshi only stared at them with wide eyes filled with disbelief. She was suddenly pulled farther into the tent and shoved onto the ground with a thud, the three remaining wolves sitting around her.

"What the---?!"

"So what _really_ happened?" Blue was the first too ask, eagerly.

"What?" Ryooshi frowned in wonder.

"Did you kiss?" Blue asked and Ryooshi's eyes widened as she stared at the other she-wolf.

"No!" she yelped, standing quickly, followed by the other three. "I told you! Nothing happened!"

"I told you he was only a jerk on the outside," Toboe smiled. "He really likes you, I'm sure."

"Now wait a minute---"

"Who made the first move?" Hige asked, and Ryooshi whipped her gaze to him.

"What…? There were no _moves_. He just walked over and told me to move over."

"Then why was his arm around you?" Toboe asked, and she turned to him.

"Because I was cold," she replied then glanced around at them and asked, "Weren't you guys in the same tent?! Why am I telling you what you all saw already?!"

"We were asleep," Toboe shrugged but Hige and Blue glanced at each other with shared smirks which Ryooshi caught.

"Yeah, you guys were probably making out," she smirked at them but Hige only slung his arm over Blue's shoulders. "Why do you guys care if Tsume and I did anything last night? Is it really any of your business?"

"You don't want to talk about it?" Blue wondered with a frown.

"There's nothing to talk about because we didn't do anything," Ryooshi replied, walking past the three and toward the tent entrance. "I'm hungry. Let's get breakfast."

She stepped out of the tent but before she could get anywhere, a hand gripped her wrist and she gave a yelp as it pulled her around to the back of the tent. The hand let go but replaced itself along with the other hand onto her arms as she looked up at the face the hands belonged to.

"Tsume, what's the matter?!" she asked breathlessly, her heart pounding in her chest as he only stared at her. She stared back for a moment before becoming embarrassed and she cast her gaze down as a blush came to her cheeks but he still stared at her.

"Stop staring at me," she requested, softly but he didn't obey, and she could feel his gaze boring into her, making her face even redder. "Tsume, I mean it. Quit staring at me."

"Why?" he finally asked.

"Because you're making me blush," she muttered, softly.

"And I wanna know why," he replied, not letting go of her either.

"I don't know why," she lied, still not looking at him.

"You like me, don't you?" he asked, seriously.

"I never said that," she muttered.

"No, but I'm right, aren't I?" he questioned. "If you didn't you'd be angry and tell me I'm an arrogant asshole, right?"

"You _are_ an arrogant asshole!" she snarled, finally looking up at him.

"And you don't care," he retorted. "You still like me."

"Let go of me before I bite your paws off!" she growled, starting to struggle against his grip. "And don't think I won't do it! I _will_!"

"Would you hold still, mutt?!" Tsume spat.

"Would _you_ quit calling me mutt?!" Ryooshi shot back, still struggling. "Why the hell do you care so much whether I like you or not?! Until last night you were still so mad at me you didn't even wanna _look_ at me!"

"Maybe I don't mind you so much anymore?!" he shot back. "I'm done being mad at you!"

"Then why do you still call me a mutt?!" she growled, finally giving up in struggling against his grip. "I'm no half-breed! I keep telling you that, but you don't listen!"

"Well what else am I supposed to call you?!" he questioned.

"How about you try calling me by my _name_?!" she retorted. "You said my name once and it was---!" She cut herself off and cast her eyes down again as he stared at her, waiting for her to finish.

"It was what?" he urged when she still said nothing.

"It was…nice," she shrugged slightly and to her surprise, he let go of her arms, making her look up at him with wide eyes filled with wonder.

"You really don't like being called mutt, do you?" he realized.

"Gee, what was your first clue?" she shot back, sarcastically.

"Why not?" he asked seriously, making her irritation melt away and she swallowed as he only stared at her, waiting for her answer.

"The human that was my partner used to call me that," she murmured, casting her gaze down again to twiddle her thumbs. "They all called us that. They never called us by our names, or in my case, my number."

"Oh," he replied, vacantly then glanced around and took her wrist in his hand as he sat and gently ordered, "Sit down."

"Why?" she asked, honestly.

"Just sit, will ya?" he grumbled, pulling her wrist hard enough so she sat next to him and she adjusted herself then looked at him as he brought his knees up to lean his elbows on them. "You asked me how I got this scar one time, back in the city, right?"

Ryooshi swallowed and nodded, staring at him.

"It happened years ago," he explained, but Ryooshi placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing his gaze to hers.

"You don't have to tell me just because---"

"Just shut up and listen, ok?" Tsume interrupted, lifting a hand to silence her and she gave a small sigh but nodded, lowering her hand. He nodded and faced forward again as he continued, "Anyway, I wasn't always on my own. I was part of a pack when I was about Toboe's age, maybe younger." He looked back at Ryooshi. "I wasn't _always_ an asshole. I was actually pretty trusting of my pack and they trusted me, too.

"One day we went sniffing around this old building for food. Turned out it belonged to those Wolf Hunters. They tried to round us all up but when most of us got away they tried shooting at us. Those of us that were caged called for help, and we tried to go back for them. That is, all of us, except me. I'm not one to admit when I'm scared, but I nearly pissed myself at the thought of going back. I tucked tail and ran out of there, leaving the rest of my pack behind.

"The ones that survived and came back found me cowering under some bridge. The alpha did this with his teeth…" He ran his fingertips over his scar as Ryooshi stared at him in compassion. "They thought I was dead, and now that I think about it, maybe I _should_ have."

Ryooshi's shot wide in disbelief as she still stared at him and breathed, "Why do you think that?"

"The same thing happened in my past life," he replied. "Not exactly, but close enough. They trusted me and I let them down."

"So you think you deserved to _die_ because you were scared?" Ryooshi replied. "It's not like you did it because you wanted to see them taken away or killed. You were scared. There's nothing wrong with that. I bet if something like that happened to Kiba and the others, you wouldn't hesitate to go back for them."

"You don't know that," he retorted.

"Sure I do," she smiled, sweetly. "You didn't hesitate to go back for me…twice."

"That was different," he insisted.

"No it wasn't," she argued. "You didn't even _know_ me, but you helped me anyway. And besides, you were a pup back then. Toboe would have been just as scared as you were back then. Hell, _I_ would have been scared."

"Stop it," Tsume blurted, making Ryooshi frown in confusion.

"Stop what?" she asked, honestly.

"Trying to make me feel better," he replied.

"But I can't let you think that you should have died back there rather than trying to keep on living," she insisted. "You never would have found Toboe and the others again and remembered your friendship with each of them. And---"

She stopped herself from finishing her sentence and hoped he hadn't caught it as she sat back a little, looking away from him in embarrassment. Tsume frowned and looked at her, waiting for her to finish, but when she didn't he prompted, "And?"

Ryooshi shot a wide-eyed gaze of panic at him but instantly shook her head and looked away again.

"Oh, spit it out, will ya, Ryooshi?" he snarled, and she looked back at him in surprise then smiled only slightly.

"You said my name," she whispered.

"Yeah, so?" he shrugged. "What else were you gonna say? What _else_ wouldn't have happened if I'd have died when I should have?"

She gazed down at her lap, twiddling her thumbs, then muttered, "If you had died…I never would have met you."

Instead of giving a sarcastic remark, Tsume thought about that, taking note that his heart skipped a beat in panic at that thought. It was true. If he had died when his alpha had tried to kill him, he and Ryooshi never would have met, and that scared him the most, even out of not meeting and remembering Toboe and the others. He could guess why that was, but he didn't want to dwell on it.

He glanced at her, still sitting next to him, twiddling her thumbs and it was starting to drive him crazy that she was being so quiet and shy. He didn't like it when she was like this. He liked seeing her energetic and cheerful. Placing his hand over her fidgeting ones, making her freeze and look up at him he gave a small smirk but said nothing.

"What?" she wondered.

"You should get your hair redone," he suggested. "It looks like crap."

"Well ex_cuse_ me, Mister I-Only-Have-A-Thin-Ponytail-To-Contend-With!" she snapped and Tsume chuckled, patting her hands. "Why don't _you_ coordinate my next hairstyle, since you're _obviously_ so fashionable with your torn jacket?!"

"Do I _look_ like a hair dresser to you?" Tsume shot back, and Ryooshi had to stifle a snicker by snorting, softly.

"Just the fact that you called yourself a hair dresser scares me, just a little," she snickered.

"I asked if I _looked_ like one," he corrected. "I didn't say I _was_ one, did I?"

"Just about," Ryooshi nodded. "When you said my hair looks like crap you as good as admitted it."

Tsume glared at her, trying to find something smart to say, but as she looked at him expectantly with a slight smile over her lips, he drew a blank. Instead, he pulled his hand away from hers as it had been sitting there the whole time and muttered, "Bite me."

"I'd rather not," she retorted, and as he stood, she felt her heart race in panic and scrambled to her feet as he dusted himself off.

"We'd better find the others," he suggested, shoving his hands in his pant pockets and heading out from behind the tent.

Ryooshi nodded after him, dusting herself off as well, but before she could even think to turn and walk out from behind the tent, Tsume stepped back and pressed a small kiss to her cheek, making her freeze as her heart jumped in her chest before he walked away again without a word. She blinked in shock and lifted her hand to her cheek as her face turned beet red and she turned to watch him walk away with a small smile.

_Did that just happen?_ she asked herself. _Did he just...__kiss__ me?_

Her smile grew, but she looked around before giggling and spinning in circles a few times and skipped out from behind the tent toward her friends, still grinning.

* * *

**A/N:** hee hee. 'Aw, look! He can't sleep without you!' hee hee hee. i'm proud of that line, and i'm sure you will all agree that _Toboe_ would be the one to say that. ok, ok...so i was trying to figure out, with Tsume and Ryooshi, the first kiss would have to be either while they were arguing, or out of the blue on someone's cheek. i chose to go the other way, and i had Tsume do it cause it would be way too predictable of Ryooshi to do it. reviews?


	19. The Hunt

**A/N: **wow, this one took a little longer than expected. i hope this one doesn't seem forced either. enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 19: The Hunt**_

"Hey, Ryooshi," Toboe whispered to her as the pack sat in a circle with the rest of the men that were going on the hunt with them, including Chief Runs with Horses.

"Yeah?" Ryooshi replied in a hushed tone also.

"What's that guy doing with his rattling stick?" Toboe wondered, still whispering.

"That's the Shaman," she answered. "He's calling on the Great Spirits to bless the hunt. When he's done praying, he'll bless everybody individually."

"He's not gonna spatter blood on us, is he?" Hige wondered in a hushed tone.

"No," Ryooshi sighed, rolling her eyes, and signaled they should be quiet by pressing her finger to her lips.

The Shaman came toward them and Ryooshi bowed her head, nudging Toboe when he didn't do the same and he, too, bowed his head, followed by the others. The Shaman rattled his staff over Ryooshi's head as he chanted something, then did the same to the others until he went all around the circle. Only when he stopped and tapped his staff twice to the ground did everyone disperse from the circle.

The hunters mounted their horses, with their spears, bow and arrows in hand.

"Huntress Wolf," Runs with Horses called, and Ryooshi turned to look up at him on his horse. "You will stay by my side during the hunt. It is my wish."

"Yes, Chief," Ryooshi nodded then asked, "Where exactly will be hunting?"

"There are mountains to the west," Runs with Horses replied. "That is where we hunt. They are not far away. I am glad you have arrived just in time for the last hunt of the week."

"We'll be here for many more, I'm sure," Ryooshi smiled with a nod and turned back to the pack as Runs with Horses called for the hunters to head westward.

"I have to stay with the Chief," she explained. "You guys can spread out if you like."

"I'll walk with you," Tsume piped up, and as he walked toward her the others gave significant glances to each other. Ryooshi noticed and rolled her eyes but headed toward Runs with Horses as he led the men westward, Tsume beside her.

"You really don't have to walk with me, ya know?" she told him as they caught up to the Chief.

"I know," he shrugged. "I just thought you'd want some company."

"Are you being all warm and fuzzy again?" she teased with a grin and Tsume gave her a sideways glare but smirked anyway.

"Well," he hummed, glancing upwards in thought and shoving his hands in his pockets. "I just thought, since we bonded back there that you'd wanna spend all kinds of time with me. I figured I'd beat you to the punch by volunteering instead of having you run all over the place after me like a love-sick pup."

"Trust me, I'm not gonna run after you when you _clearly_ don't want any attention from _me_," she replied, coolly. "And who said anything about being love-sick?"

Tsume smirked as he leaned toward her and murmured, "Remember? I know you like me."

"Sure I do," Ryooshi shrugged calmly, but she could feel her heart pounding in her chest at him being so close. "Even though you can be a jerk sometimes, you're ok to hang around. The others like you too."

"You _know_ that's not what I mean," he muttered, standing tall again then smirked, "I saw the way you reacted to that kiss I gave you earlier. Why don't you just admit you like me?"

"Why don't _you_ admit that _you_ like _me_?" Ryooshi retorted with a smirk of her own and Tsume shot a wide-eyed stare at her. "If you didn't, you wouldn't have kissed me, right?"

_You set yourself up for that one, idiot!_ he thought to himself, but looked away from her with a shrug and a scoff as he replied, "I just wondered what you'd do. I did it to prove that you liked me."

"Really?" Ryooshi smirked skeptically and suddenly had an idea. "Then why don't we see if _you_ like _me_?"

Tsume frowned at her but before he could say anything, Ryooshi stepped closer to him on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, as he had done to her earlier. He froze when she pulled away and felt his heart skip a beat. She smiled at him and hurried after Runs with Horses as he still led the group of hunters to the mountains and Tsume stared after her in shock and awe.

"Way to go, Big Guy!" Hige grinned, slapping a hand onto Tsume's back and startling him out of his shocked trance. "That was a cute little peck on the cheek you just got. Maybe when we come back from hunting she'll try to hold your hand?"

"Shut up!" Tsume snarled back at him, shoving Hige away as he laughed.

"You guys _do_ make a cute couple," Blue added and Tsume only glared at her.

"What do any of _you_ care?" he muttered. "It's not like it affects any of you."

"We just wanna see you and Ryooshi happy," Toboe grinned.

"Actually, we just wanna see if you _really_ have a heart after all," Hige corrected and Blue giggled as Tsume shot a glare at him.

"Of course he has a heart!" Toboe replied, defensively for Tsume.

"Would you stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Tsume grumbled.

"I thought you didn't care if we knew you like her," Kiba recalled, remembering his reaction when they'd all found him and Ryooshi lying together that morning.

"I don't," Tsume snapped then muttered, "But apparently Ryooshi _does_." He turned to the others and snapped, "So just keep a lid on it, will ya?!"

He turned around and marched toward Ryooshi again as the others stopped and glanced around at each other.

Blue smiled, triumphantly, crossing her arms over her chest as she nodded, "Yup. He's falling for her."

* * *

Ryooshi crouched in the tall grass, her jade eyes staring at the huge buffalo, her dark brown fur easily hiding her in the terrain. The Indians had no problem hiding either, but Kiba and Tsume were a little harder to hide than the others who were pretty much able to blend into the grass.

"It's a really _big_ buffalo, Chief," Ryooshi insisted as he crouched next to her. She had been trying to convince him for a while that it was too much trouble to try to take down, but his youthful ambition begged to be appeased. That buffalo could feed the tribe for two more hunting days, at least.

"It should be no problem for you and your friends," he replied. "We will be here to take it down completely once you tire it out a bit."

"You know, if this was two years ago, I'd say your father would _kill_ me if I let you pull a stunt like this," Ryooshi reminded him then shook her head and sighed, "But, _you're_ the Chief. Just try not to hit any of us when you shoot your arrows, alright?"

"I will try, Huntress Wolf," Runs with Horses smirked and Ryooshi caught the eyes of the rest of the pack and nodded as the signal to begin.

The pack slowly stood and stalked silently through the tall grass to surround the buffalo, only making small rustles with the grass and making a large circle around it. They all crouched down again, preparing to attack, one after another as they had planned, but the buffalo stopped its grazing, looked up behind him and took off, nearly trampling over Kiba who had been crouched in front of him.

"After it!" Ryooshi barked, seeing the Chief shoot out of the grass and do just that.

"That's _our_ kill!" a growl came from behind her, and she froze with the rest of the pack and turned to face the direction the growl had come from to see another pack of wolves, the alpha male growling at Ryooshi. "You're trespassing on _our_ territory! You and your Indian humans who are _always_ coming around here for _our_ food!"

"They're not hunting _you_ so back off!" Ryooshi shot back as the rest of the pack came up behind her to support her. "They were here before _you_ were, judging by the fact that we didn't catch your stench anywhere else on the way here."

"You wanna start something, mutt?!" the alpha snarled and Ryooshi growled lowly, taking a battle stance.

"Who the hell are you calling a mutt?!" she barked back as the rest of the pack growled at the pack in front of them.

"Your pitiful pack of six stands no chance against _my_ pack of twenty!" the alpha snarled, but he took a step back at catching something behind the pack.

Ryooshi looked over her shoulder to see Chief Runs with Horses and the rest of the hunters ready to attack if needed. She smirked to herself and looked back at the pack in front of them only to see Tsume standing a little ahead of her suddenly, defending her.

"Our pack is bigger than yours," she teased and the pack backed away and ran off, realizing they were no match for a pack of wolves _and_ humans. Ryooshi stood tall and nodded definitely before they all turned and ran after the buffalo that had gotten away.

"I think a change of plan is in order, Chief!" Ryooshi called, running beside him.

"I agree," he nodded and soon the lone buffalo was in sight and she turned to the pack behind her.

"Blitz attack, guys!" she called, and the Chief stopped with his men but Ryooshi led the pack toward the animal.

The pack surrounded the buffalo again, but this time, Ryooshi leapt at the huge thing and sank her teeth into the back of its neck as she stood on its back and Toboe and Blue went for the legs. The buffalo reared, trying to get Ryooshi off his back and when it succeeded, Kiba and Tsume were the next to attack. The buffalo fell from being off-balance, nearly crushing Toboe if he hadn't darted out of the way and crashed into Blue sending them to the ground.

"Out of the way!" Ryooshi barked to the rest of them as she stood with Blue and Toboe as they got up. Tsume and Kiba leapt toward them just as the Chief and his men came up from the grass to fire their arrows at it for the killing blow.

"Now how are we gonna get it _back_ to the village?" Tsume wondered and Ryooshi opened her mouth to reply but quickly closed it as she looked up in thought.

"I don't know," she finally replied. "I think they'll have a wagon or some kind of wheeled vehicle to get it back."

"Hey, do you smell that?" Hige asked, sniffing the air and the rest of them did as well.

"_Now_ what?" Tsume growled, catching the scent of the other wolves but as they looked around, none of them could see the others.

"Maybe this is part of the place where they _did_ mark their territory?" Ryooshi guessed, but before anyone could answer she heard a rustling behind her. She whirled around and gave a snarl at one of the wolves they'd seen earlier as it leapt toward her.

"Ryooshi!" Toboe called as she gave a yelp when the attacking wolf chomped his fangs into her leg when she attempted to kick him away. Toboe ran to help her but was shoved out of the way when Tsume charged the attacking wolf and grabbed the back of his neck in his powerful jaws. The wolf howled in pain, letting go of Ryooshi's leg and Toboe settled for helping Ryooshi away from the other two.

Tsume tossed the wolf aside and it got up, shaking the rattling away in its head as Tsume snarled, "Get lost!"

"Don't come hunting in our territory again!" the wolf growled back at the pack as he struggled to stand.

"You're in no position to demand _anything_ from us when you're outnumbered!" Tsume shot back. "Now get lost before I toss you around some more!"

The wolf glared at them for a moment but trudged off in pain from the wound Tsume left on him.

"Huntress Wolf, are you alright?!" the Chief called, running toward the pack again and kneeling next to Ryooshi as the wolves appeared in their human forms again.

"I'll be alright," she assured him as Toboe helped her stand. "Only a flesh wound."

"That's the _second_ time you've been mauled, m---kid," Tsume recalled, and Ryooshi couldn't help but smirk at his near slip of calling her 'mutt' as Chief Runs with Horses led them back to the horses. "You must taste good, huh?"

"Don't even think it," Ryooshi shot back, reading his tone. "Like I said, I'm gamey."

"Hey, keep the flirting to a minimum in front of the runt, will ya?" Hige smirked, ruffling Toboe's hair as he held up Ryooshi's arm.

"I'm not an idiot, ya know!" Toboe shot back at Hige, but turned his attention back to Ryooshi with a slight blush. "You guys getting together would actually be kinda nice."

Ryooshi opened her mouth to reply but gave a yelp of surprise instead with she felt herself being swept off her feet and pulled into a pair of arms. She quickly threw her arms around Tsume's neck, blushing as she did.

"W-Wha---?"

"I can't stand watching you limp," Tsume complained. "I'd rather carry you myself than have to wait for you trailing behind us."

Ryooshi swallowed but said nothing as she looked over his shoulder at the others. Blue and Hige gave her a thumbs up, Toboe only stood there grinning and she was so thankful Kiba had only ever gave a small smiles whenever it came to moments like this.

"You still owe me for the _other_ times I saved your life," Tsume reminded her in a murmur, drawing her attention back to him. "I expect to be repaid for that."

"I'm only in debt by one life-saving, now," she grinned, tapping his nose lightly and he frowned at her in utter confusion as she wrapped her arm back around his neck.

"_One_?!" he snapped. "I've saved your life _three_ times since I've met you!"

"And I've paid my debt back in full twice," she smiled with a nod.

"I saved your life back at the lab in the city!" he snapped.

"And I paid you back by helping you get your memory back," Ryooshi replied, then held a hand up and counted, "That's one."

"That doesn't count," he muttered. "_You_ didn't do anything. That was Cheza."

"No, but I convinced you to meet them behind the diner when you were being a pain in the tail about it," she replied.

"I'm not giving you that one," he argued, shaking his head. "You didn't save my life. And now I've saved you twice from being mauled to death."

"Well, fine, but I _did_ have a hand in digging you out after that sandstorm," Ryooshi retorted. "Even though it was Toboe who bit your ear to get you moving, I ended up digging it out for him to bite."

"So it was the runt?!" Tsume growled, lowly and Ryooshi just rolled her eyes as she flicked his nose, making him look at her with wide eyes.

"Focus," she ordered, then counted on her fingers, "So you saved me three times and I saved you once."

"I don't think I should give you that one either," he retorted. "You may have dug up my _ear_, but you weren't the one that actually got me out of it."

"Don't be a jerk," she muttered. "I'm in debt by two."

"I say three," Tsume argued, and Ryooshi set her jaw in anger and glared at him.

"You're saying that to bother me," she muttered and Tsume gave her a mischievous smirk.

"Maybe," he retorted. "What're you gonna do about it?"

Ryooshi glared at him again and shoved away from his chest enough so that he stopped and she pulled her feet from his other hand to set herself down on the ground, still shoving away from him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, watching her limp away as the rest of the pack passed him up.

"Walking, since you're being such a jerk," she snapped back and Hige stopped next to Tsume to nudge him.

"Lovers' quarrel?" he smirked, teasingly and Tsume snarled at him then marched toward Ryooshi, but Hige only laughed.

"Hey!" Tsume barked at Ryooshi and she spun around with wide eyes and a small wince at the pain in her leg as he stopped in front of her to stare her down.

"If you're gonna be your outer, jerky self, then don't talk to me," she grumbled. "I'm done trying to out-anger you."

"Do you ever shut up?" he asked and she glared at him.

"Now look!" she began, holding up a threatening finger at him, but before she could finish her attempted rant, he grabbed her hand, his other hand grabbing a handful of dark brown hair, pulled her toward him and planted his lips to hers making her squeak in surprise as her eyes shot wide in shock.

"Whoa! Hey! There's a pup here!" Hige reminded them, grabbing Toboe by the shoulders and covering his eyes with one hand.

He was ignored as Ryooshi and Tsume remained in their lip lock, and the she-wolf finally allowed her eyes to flutter shut and her arms to slide around his neck.

"Wow, she's enjoying that, isn't she?" Hige breathed, his eyes wide at the scene and Toboe struggled to be free of his grip as Blue nudged him.

"Shush!" she hissed, but was over-ruled by Kiba when he started ushering them after the rest of the hunting party.

"Let's go," he urged, walking past the three. "We'll lose them if we stay here too long."

"What about _those_ two?" Hige asked, pointing at Tsume and Ryooshi still holding each other and letting go of Toboe in the process who glared at the older wolf.

"They'll find their way back," Kiba assured them, still walking. The rest of them followed, Blue having to take Toboe's arm and drag him along as he was so fascinated by his two best friends having their moment.

Tsume's hand holding onto Ryooshi's slid to her waist as she carefully lifted herself on her tiptoes so that he didn't lean so far toward her as she was slightly shorter than Toboe. He lifted her a little higher so that she was level with his height, her feet dangling in the air as one if her feet lifted into the air and he deepened the kiss as she pulled him closer. When they finally pulled apart for air, Tsume didn't let her go as his hand that had fisted her hair loosened and gently rested on the back of her neck and she smiled at him as her eyes fluttered open.

"Ok, I'll say it first," she surrendered, breathlessly making him frown, but she only continued, "I'm falling for you, Tsume."

His eyes widened slightly but his surprise melted away as he smirked, mischievously and replied, "I _knew_ I'd break you first."

"Whatever!" she laughed not being able to wipe the smile from her face even as she gently and playfully punched his arm. "You realized you kissed me in front of the others, right?"

"So?" he shrugged. "Why should I care?"

"You don't care very much about your reputation as a tough guy, then, do you?" she retorted, bringing her hands to his shoulders to fiddles with the collar of his leather jacket.

"Not with them," he replied, shaking his head slightly. "Besides, they know I could kill them with one paw tied behind my back."

"Even though you'd _never_ do such a thing," Ryooshi added then glanced around and realized they were the only ones around then looked back at Tsume to say, "They ditched us."

He frowned, looked around as well, then back at Ryooshi and replied, "Guess they did."

"Would you mind putting me down now?" she wondered with a small smile.

Tsume smirked as he gently set her on her feet again, his hand that had been on her neck running gently down her shoulder and his other hand around her waist sliding from around it. Ryooshi slid her hands down his shoulders and let one of them rest in his hand as they headed in the direction they were supposed to go. Tsume frowned and couldn't help but give a scoff as they still walked and Ryooshi looked up at him with a frown.

"What's so funny?" she wondered and he held their hands up for her to see.

"Hige said if I was lucky you'd let me hold your hand on the way back from the hunt," he explained and Ryooshi giggled as he lowered their hands. She stepped closer and hugged his arm closer to hers and smiled a little wider when she felt Tsume entwine their fingers. Even though he hadn't said it, she knew, he was falling for her too.

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**A/N:** kay, yeah, it's all made up pretty much. i don't know if a Shaman does that before a hunt. i don't know if Indians have certain days when they go hunting, and i don't know if they'd be hunting a buffalo, i just think Indians hunting and i think buffalo. in short, i'm flyin by the seat of my pants here, so please, don't go up in flames about my blunders. and there was the _real_ kiss, finally! i couldn't help it! I could _totally_ see Tsume doing this with Ryooshi cuz she's so tiny and he could pick her up with one arm. lol. and, yea, the title of this chapter is kind of a double meaning. They're hunting, but Tsume and Ryooshi are hunting...each other. lol! was it too mushy or too rushed? reviews?


	20. True Pack of Six

**A/N:** ... something tells me this story is gonna be long. like...more than my 26 chapter maximum i've got going. seriously, the longest _any_ of my finished fics have gotten is 26 chapters. check it out if you don't believe me. they're all on here. anyway, enough of me...enjoy!

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_**Chapter 20: True Pack of Six**_

Ryooshi gave a small whimper of pain as she sat on the floor in the tent, a squaw kneeling in front of her and spreading an herb over her mauled leg. Her leg twitched and the squaw gripped her ankle to keep it still.

"Huntress Wolf, if you keep moving, it will only hurt more," she soothed, still spreading the herb over her wound.

"I'm sorry," Ryooshi whimpered, wincing in pain. "It just really hurts. It always burned like this when I got hurt."

"Yes, it does burn a bit, but they do help," the squaw replied, still rubbing.

"I know," Ryooshi groaned.

"Clawed Wolf, please, try to calm---"

"Don't talk to me about calm!" Tsume growled at the man in front of the tent. "I can hear it, that woman is hurting her! Just let me in and do what we usually do for something like this!"

"Tsume, come on," they heard Toboe urge, gently. "It's their way. Let's get ready for the big dinner tonight, ok?"

"Get off of me, runt!" Tsume snarled. "Fine. I'll go. But if she comes out limping worse than she was before, I'm gonna have a serious bone to pick with that woman in there with her!"

"Alright, Tsume, let's go," Toboe urged, calmly again. "We need to get there before Hige eats everything."

Ryooshi couldn't help snickering when she heard Tsume mutter curses under his breath as he walked away with Toboe. She grimaced again when the squaw rubbed more herbs on the wound and sighed with a slight growl as she flopped back onto her back.

"I'll be back, Huntress Wolf," the squaw said, standing and heading toward the entrance of the tent and Ryooshi sighed, waving but not looking at her. She closed her eyes and didn't see the shadow cross the back of the tent, then a set of fingers curl under the cloth to lift it and reveal Tsume crouching to the ground and glancing around to make sure no one was looking as he crawled in.

"Hey," he whispered as he turned and laid down on his back, his head next to hers and her eyes shot open wide as she looked at him, still lying down.

"What are you doing?" she laughed, softly at the fact that he was now lying beside her.

"Lying down," he replied with a frown then looked at her. "What are _you_ doing?"

"Ok, I think I know you well enough to say this," she reasoned. "This isn't like you."

"Alright, you caught me," he grumbled. "I'm sick of sitting out there and not doing anything to help you. What the hell is that woman putting on your leg?"

"Some healing herbs," Ryooshi shrugged. "I don't know what they're called though."

"Well, plants aren't as good as a good licking," Tsume replied, sitting up and shuffling toward her legs as she sat up as well.

"I wouldn't---!" she tried to warn, but he'd already started licking her wounds and after a few strokes, he made a disgusted face and started spitting at the dirt.

"What the hell---?!" he spat, his nose wrinkled in disgust as he sat up. "Tastes like burnt rubber on asphalt!"

"I tried to warn you," she sighed, shaking her head, hopelessly. "I did that the first time they put that stuff on me. Tasted like dirt."

"Well, screw this," he grumbled and shuffled to the back of the tent then lifted the cloth, looked outside and turned back to Ryooshi. "There's nobody around. Let's just go."

"That squaw is gonna be back here any minute," she argued.

"Well then we'd better get our tails movin' right?" Tsume only smirked and grabbed her wrist to pull her to her feet and they ducked under the back flap of the tent.

"Tsume---!"

He slapped a hand over her mouth when he noticed the squaw coming back to the tent and once she disappeared into it, Tsume rushed Ryooshi to another empty tent and ducked inside. He hurried her inside then peeked out of the entrance to make sure no one saw them.

"What is going on with you?!" Ryooshi laughed as Tsume turned and stepped in front of her.

"It's a full moon tonight," he murmured with a smirk. "It makes me mischievous."

"Obviously," she smiled as he closed in on her, but when she took a step back onto her hurt foot she stumbled. She gave a wince and stepped back toward Tsume who held her up with open arms.

"You're really playing this up, aren't you?" he smirked and she looked up at him with a frown.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Your leg should be half-way healed by now since it's a full moon tonight," he reminded her. "You can stand just fine, I'm sure."

"Maybe," she smiled, slyly. "That's not stopping _you_ from holding onto me, is it?"

"Hell no," he smirked back and she lifted herself up to leave an Eskimo kiss on his nose. "What the hell kind of kiss is that?"

"The kind that I give when I'm in a hurry," Ryooshi smiled, moving to walk to the tent entrance, but he wouldn't let her go. "If they can't find me, they'll think I've disappeared."

"They're _that_ paranoid?" he wondered.

"Yes," she groaned, pushing lightly against his chest to get him to let her go. "Now, let go. I have to go help set up for the dinner tonight. And so do _you_."

"Make me," he teased.

"You _are_ mischievous!" Ryooshi grinned but she had to admit, she felt a little mischievous herself as he smirked back at her.

She leaned forward and kissed the scar on his chest, making him lift a brow at her, and she felt his grip on her loosen as he thought she was giving in to him. She darted from his arms to the tent entrance before he could even think of what to do next and he was left alone when she hurried out.

"Little fur-ball!" he barked, darting out of the tent and looking for her. His search was cut short when Hige came by and shoved the pile of firewood he was carrying into the older wolf's stomach, making him let out a grunt at it.

"Can you get these to the bonfire place?" he wondered, stretching his back with a groan then walking away, waving, "Thanks!"

"Damn, lazy-ass!" Tsume snarled at the other wolf, but felt his load lighten slightly and frowned in confusion as he turned to see the source of the relief. Toboe was taking some of the firewood from the top of the pile to carry himself with a grin at Tsume.

"Come on," he nodded and Tsume sighed, hopelessly as he followed Toboe to the place they were going to have the bonfire that night.

Tsume caught up to Toboe's unusually fast pace as they reached the fire and he dumped the wood where Toboe dumped his load as well. As he turned to follow Toboe to wherever he was getting the firewood, he spotted Ryooshi across the way in her wolf form playing with the children in the village and keeping them occupied while the adults set up for dinner that night. He had the urge to go to her but decided against it. He'd catch her later once they were all around the fire.

Night fell, and the fire was lit before the Chief came from his tent and took his place, Ryooshi at his right and the rest of the wolves and people around the fire as well. Tsume trotted up to Ryooshi's right and sat, but she didn't seem to notice as she spoke to Runs with Horses. He glanced at her and waited for her to acknowledge him, but when she said nothing, he scooted a little closer to her, threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him so that she leaned back against him.

Ryooshi gave a surprised yelp but only smiled when she landed against Tsume's chest and held his arm as it hung on one of her shoulders. They were almost the mirror image of Hige and Blue as they sat to Kiba's left as he sat to the Chief's left, Toboe sitting on Tsume's right.

"I'm not letting you get away _this_ time," he murmured in her ear and she only rolled her eyes.

"Hey, guys, check out the moon!" Toboe grinned, excitedly and the pack looked up to see it hanging in the sky, full and shining brightly.

"We shouldn't draw too much attention to her," Ryooshi murmured, causing Tsume to turn his attention to her. "She'll get embarrassed and hide herself again."

"What are you mumbled about?" he wondered, curiously and Ryooshi only shook her head.

"Nothing," she shrugged. "Just something a friend of mine told me."

"Can we howl at it?" Toboe hoped, bouncing in his seat and still staring up at the moon. "I wanna howl so bad, I'm shaking all over!"

"Do as you please," the Chief entreated. "You are among friends."

Ryooshi jumped onto all fours, lifted her head and was the first to let out a long, loud howl. The others soon joined in, with Toboe setting the record for the longest howl of the pack when they finished. Kiba's was the loudest. Tsume's was the lowest. Ryooshi's was the highest and Hige and Blue's were the best harmony. They all couldn't help but grin at each other and Toboe and Ryooshi laughed when the little children started howling as well, just for the fun of it.

"I'm glad we came here," Blue smiled, leaning against Hige as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "It's so peaceful and cheerful here."

"It was like this when Mighty Hawk was Chief too," Ryooshi smiled, leaning against Tsume and holding his hand as it hung over her shoulder. "It was like a peace of paradise."

"Why did you leave?" Toboe asked, and Ryooshi didn't fail to notice Runs with Horses stop eating for a moment and slightly lean toward her to hear her better. She gave a sigh as she fiddled with Tsume's fingers and he looked down at her, waiting for the answer as well.

"The same reason I left your place without a word, Toboe," she replied. "I knew I wouldn't fit in anywhere. Not after what I'd done."

"You've gotta let that go already," Hige sighed irritably.

"Hige!" Blue gasped, craning her neck to look at him in disbelief.

"I mean, I know you're guilty about what you did," he continued, "and we get that. But do you have to keep holding it over yourself like it's condemned you to a living hell for life?"

"I don't expect any of you to understand," Ryooshi replied. "The moment I said I would let them use me, I knew I could never be accepted by my kind for hunting them. That's why I was reluctant to tell any of you because I felt accepted, and I knew you'd ditch me the moment you knew I used to work for the Wolf Hunters. I knew you'd do it because I I'm not part of your pack---"

"Who said you weren't part of our pack?" Toboe cut, shooting Ryooshi's attention to him and they stared at each other with wide eyes as he continued, "You helped us escape those guys in the city and left with us when we left it. Of _course_ you're part of our pack." He looked to Kiba, then Hige and Blue, then Tsume and urged, "She _is_, isn't she?"

They all looked back to Kiba and Ryooshi felt her heart pounding in her chest when he looked back at her. Her heart raced at the thought of him saying no, but her fear turned to surprise as he smiled, warmly and nodded.

"See?!" Toboe grinned, leaning around Tsume to give her a small shove she hardly acknowledged as Tsume swatted the young wolf's hand away. Ryooshi could feel tears coming to her eyes as she smiled and nodded to Kiba in return.

"Now, quit feeling sorry for yourself over what happened years ago," Hige called, jokingly. "If all of us felt so guilty that we thought we didn't belong anywhere, we'd _all_ be alone."

"Well spoken, Whiskers Wolf," Runs with Horses chimed in. He'd stayed silent to let her friends talk some sense into her this time.

"At least you didn't say something like you wished you were dead," Tsume whispered in her ear and she frowned, looking up at him but he answered her silent question by continuing, "Otherwise I would've had to use your own words against you."

"What words would those be?" she asked with a small smirk in reply to his own mischievous tone.

"'It's not like you did it because you wanted to'," he murmured. "'You were scared. There's nothing wrong with that.' And for the grand finale…'If you had died, I never would have met you.'"

"And I thought you weren't listening," she confessed, sarcastically as she patted his hand she was holding. Tsume glared at her but couldn't help but smirk at the same time.

"I could get used to this for a month," Hige sighed, contentedly as he sprawled out on the ground, Blue right next to him. "Hell, I'd _stay_ here if Cheza wasn't waiting for us back in the city." He suddenly had an idea and sat up to grin at Kiba and ask, "Hey, Kiba! You think she'd like it here?!"

"I think she might," Kiba nodded then turned to Runs with Horses and asked, "Would it be alright if we came back here?"

"Of course, Fanged Wolf," the Chief nodded. "You are all welcome to return for any reason."

"Thank you," Kiba nodded, respectfully.

As she watched the exchange, Ryooshi felt relieved that Kiba was handling negotiations now with the Chief. After all, she could tell from the start, Kiba was the alpha male in the pack, and Tsume was second in command. She still fiddled with Tsume's hand as she looked over at Toboe who was staring into the fire, through the fire. She could tell by his slightly sorrow-filled expression he was thinking of Liona.

"Toboe," she called, gently but he didn't seem to hear her. Tsume glanced at the young wolf and reached over to smack his arm, making Toboe jump and stare at them with wide eyes. Ryooshi glared at Tsume and punched his knee to avenge Toboe's assault and he glared back at her.

"What?" Toboe asked, glancing between Tsume and Ryooshi.

"Are you alright?" she asked, honestly interested. The young wolf nodded, weakly and looked back at the fire.

"I just…miss Liona," he mumbled and Ryooshi felt her heart sink in empathy for him.

"Come sit with me," she entreated with a smile and Tsume sent a glare at her, which she promptly ignored.

"No, it's ok," Toboe replied, waving her off. "I'm alright."

"I'm not," Ryooshi insisted, making it about _her_ comfort instead of _his_. She didn't want him thinking she was doing it out of pity when she just wanted to cheer him up. "Come over here and sit with me."

"Are you _trying_ to piss me off?!" Tsume growled softly in her ear as Toboe shuffled toward her.

"What are you grumbling about?" she muttered back, knowing why he was upset. He wanted her all to himself for the moment, but Ryooshi wasn't about to leave Toboe depressed because he was lonely.

Tsume muttered a few curses under his breath about her being too soft and needy, but she didn't care as Toboe curled up in front of her in his wolf form. She smiled and started stroking his auburn fur as he set his chin on his crossed fore-paws, still staring at the fire.

She now hand one hand in Tsume's entwining their fingers and one hand stroking Toboe's back to sooth his loneliness. Watching her do that for the young wolf sent a twinge of jealousy through Tsume. Nobody had ever done that for _him_, mostly because no human ever knew he was really a wolf. Still, he couldn't deny that he wouldn't have minded even a good belly-rub once in a while. What canine didn't enjoy being petted, even the tough and deadly ones? _Especially_ the tough, deadly ones that no one wanted to touch.

Taking a chance he leaned into Ryooshi's ear and gently nipped it to get her attention. She gave a small hum in response, indicating he had her attention and he buried his nose into her hair to whisper, "Will you do that for me later?"

"Do what?" she murmured, and he could tell that she was content enough to doze a little by her tone.

"Pet me?" he answered, still whispering and nipped her ear again. This was one thing he didn't want the others to hear.

Ryooshi gave a small giggle and looked up at him, her head resting on his shoulder as she smiled, "Only if _you_ pet _me_ in return."

"Deal," he growled softly, somehow aroused by the idea.

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**A/N:** woo hoo! i couldn't resist...any of this, really. i snuck plot-line in with fluff i just _needed_ to put in there, like the mischievousness of Tsume and the whole little ending thing where he's all jealous 'cause Toboe's getting some love. Toboe _is_ love, though, so it's all good. lol. and, i realize, he's probably goen a littel OOC, but i couldn't resist! *cries* anyway, reviews?


	21. Repeat of History

**A/N:** wow, this one came up fast. enjoy!

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_**Chapter 21: Repeat of History**_

"I'm bushed," Hige yawned, stretching as he led the pack into their tent, Blue next to him as he rested his arm on her shoulders.

"You're _always_ tired," Toboe smirked, following the couple in with Kiba next to him, Tsume and Ryooshi bringing up the rear. As the rest entered the tent, Ryooshi suddenly stopped and tugged on Tsume's arm she'd been holding, making him stop as well and look at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked and she only smiled, not saying anything as she pulled on his arm, obviously directing him somewhere, but she wasn't saying where. He let her lead him through the now settling village and toward a tent that had a small slit of soft light shining through the front flaps of the entrance.

"Ryooshi, what's going on?" he demanded, losing patience quickly. She still didn't respond as she pulled one of the flaps of the tent open and pulled him inside after her. He saw that the light was coming from a small fire to ward off the cold of the night.

"I asked Chief to let us have a tent of our own, just for tonight," Ryooshi finally explained, sitting next to the fire and still holding Tsume's hand as he stood next to her.

"Why?" he wondered honestly, sitting next to her and not failing to notice that she still wasn't letting go of his hand.

"Because I wanted to be alone with you for a while," she smiled, sweetly then smirked, "Besides, by the way you were whispering, you didn't want the others to know that you wanted me to pet you, right?"

He gave a small sneer and looked away in irritation that she had seen through him. She only giggled and leaned forward, taking the liberty to scratch his neck. He jumped when she suddenly touched him but he melted into it and lifted his chin as she trailed her fingers up to scratch under his chin.

"How's that, my little love-sick puppy?" she teased, jokingly with a smile.

"Just shut up and scratch," he snapped back, making her giggle again as she obeyed. Her fingers trailed back down his neck then scratched up behind his ears and he sighed contentedly, laying his head on her lap as she continued scratching behind his ears.

"I'm gonna make your leg kick uncontrollably," she sang, tauntingly as she trailed her hand back down his neck and toward his stomach.

"If you can find the spot that'll make me do that," he retorted and gave hummed out a sigh when she started rubbing his stomach, slipping her hand under his shirt and jacket.

"I don't think _that_ will be a problem," she smirked, hovering over his face, her dark brown hair draping around his head. She scratched his abdomen and his left leg twitched, making her stop and look at it then turn a smirk back to him. "Told you."

She resumed rubbing his abdomen and Tsume's leg started kicking, but he didn't care. He now understood why so house pets liked this so much. It felt like all his tension was gently being forced from his body leaving his muscles so relaxed he could have died a happy camper and having Ryooshi do this for him was a bonus.

Ryooshi giggled as she watched his leg kick uncontrollably and murmured, "I have a nickname for you now."

Tsume only hummed in response.

"Fluffy," she smirked, mischievously.

"Hell no," he snapped, suddenly sitting up and pouncing onto her, pinning her hands on either side of her head, his knees on either side of her hips. "You are _not_ calling me that."

"Why not?" Ryooshi pouted, realizing he wasn't all _that_ angry. "You _are_ fluffy."

"I don't care," he replied. "You're not calling me that. Just call me what you've always called me."

"What, jerk and asshole?" Ryooshi retorted, not even trying to throw him off of her.

"See?" he smirked, closing in on her face. "I'm not as picky as you."

"Oh, bite me," she snapped.

"If you insist," he smirked wider, still closing in on her.

He suddenly stopped, his smile dropping and she wasn't confused at all by why he'd frozen. They both kept still as they caught a faint sound outside. It sounded like it was far away and getting closer and it sounded like it was an engine of some sort.

"You hear that?" Tsume asked they sat up and she stared wide eyes ahead as they heard it get louder and louder until they could tell it was coming from above.

"Oh, god, no," Ryooshi breathed, as Tsume kept his attention of the sound.

"Sounds like a---"

"Helicopter," Ryooshi finished, drawing his attention to her. She scrambled to her feet and towards the tent entrance, Tsume on her heels.

The people of the village were running around in a panic, a helicopter circling in the sky, its spotlight shining down at the people on the ground, looking for something. Tsume stood next to Ryooshi just as the light passed over them. Someone was talking through a megaphone of some sort, but you could hardly hear what he was saying over the chopper blades.

"Wolf Hunters," Ryooshi breathed, terror dripping from the words and Tsume looked at her in disbelief.

He gripped her arms and turned her to face him and snarl, "You said they wouldn't waste their time looking for us!"

"They wouldn't," she replied, not struggling against his grip, "unless they found out that _I_ was with you. In that case they would."

"Why?!" Tsume snarled.

"To kill me," she answered, without hesitation and Tsume felt his anger melt, his grip on her loosen, and his heart clench in his chest at the idea. "We have to get these people into the canyon before they see the pack and start shooting!"

Tsume didn't say a word as he nodded and they hurried off in different directions. Tsume went to find the others, Ryooshi ran to find the Chief. She spotted him and hurried toward him, seeing the panic in his eyes.

"Huntress Wolf, what is---?!"

"This is _my_ fault," she said quickly. "They're Wolf Hunters! You need to get your people into the canyon before they see me and the others! Hurry!"

Runs with Horses nodded and started ushering his people toward the canyon. Ryooshi stayed in her spot, making sure the people were listening to him, but she was soon blinded by a bright light above her and she shaded her eyes to look up. The helicopter was right above her and she could distinctly hear the sound of a man shouting that she was a wolf, then she heard the cocking of a gun.

She didn't move. Whether out of fear, or guilt that she had brought this to all her friends, she _couldn't_ move. She was nailed to the ground, staring at a light that she was sure her death.

"Ryooshi!"

She saw the outline of a man aiming at her and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the inevitable, the wind from the chopper blades whipping her hair around her face. She heard the shots, but instead of being pummeled with gunshots, she was shoved to the side and tackled to the ground, a pair of arms around her waist.

"Come on!" Toboe shouted, standing and grabbing her hand to drag her to her feet. Now out of her trance she began running with Toboe, but she soon realized they were the only ones. None of the other wolves were with them.

"Wait!" she called, starting to struggle against the young pup's grip. "Where are the others?!"

"They're gonna draw the chopper away from the village!" he replied and Ryooshi stopped dead, then turned wide eyes to the helicopter that was, in fact, drifting away from the village and going after four wolves.

"No!" Ryooshi screamed, attempting to run after them but Toboe kept a firm grip on her hand and pulled her back. "Didn't Tsume hear me?! They're after _me_! They won't stop until they get _me_!"

"Tsume told you me to get you to the canyon!" Toboe strained against her struggling to get away. "He'll kill me if I don't get you safe!"

"_He'll_ be killed!" Ryooshi retorted, still struggling and now feeling tears form in her eyes. "They'll _all_ be killed if they're this reckless! Let me go, Toboe!"

"I can't!" he argued, and finally having enough of this, pulled on her arm as hard as he could to bring her close enough so he could pick her up and sling her over his shoulder to carry her to the canyon.

"Toboe! Put me down!" she barked, kicking and hitting his back with her fists. "You don't understand! Put me down!"

"I'm not gonna let _you_ get killed, Ryooshi!" Toboe snarled and she stopped her struggling, hearing by the tone of his voice that she'd have to go about this another way.

Once they'd reached the edge of the canyon just beyond the village, Toboe set her on the ground and sat down himself, thinking Ryooshi would behave now. However, when she was sure Toboe was comfortable she shot off toward the drifting helicopter, making Toboe shoot to his feet.

"Ryooshi!" he shouted, but she didn't listen as he ordered her to come back. She couldn't let the others die for protecting her. She glancing back when she heard Toboe panting not too far behind her and she whirled on him, half-way to where the helicopter was now landed beyond the village.

"Stay back!" she snarled, causing Toboe to stop dead. "I can't have all of you risking your lives just because they came after _me_! Go back!"

"They're my friends too!" Toboe barked back.

"Toboe---!"

A volley of gunshots and a yelp interrupted her. She whirled around with wide eyes and bolted toward the helicopter, Toboe behind her. Too panicked to care whether he came with her or not, she continued on, clawing over a sand dune to a plateau of sand that stretched out to the horizon. She felt her heart thump in her chest when she saw Hige lying on the ground, but she could tell he was still breathing, Blue next to him as Tsume and Kiba guarded the two by standing their ground between them and the helicopter.

"Shoot 'em all!" one of the Hunters shouted from the helicopter.

"No!" Ryooshi screamed, running toward the helicopter. "Leave them alone! _I'm_ the one you want!"

"She's a wolf!" one of the men shouted and another aimed a gun at her.

"Ryooshi!"

"Wait!"

They all froze at the sound of the new voice. A voice that made Ryooshi shake with fear and almost bow her head in submission. One of the men in the chopper crawled out from behind the rest and jumped onto the sand, removing his helmet to reveal short, brown and amber eyes, a charmingly sadistic smile on his lips.

"102," he crooned. "I never thought I've see _you_ again."

"Keiji," Ryooshi breathed, trembling from head to toe. She took a step back when he came toward her, but she stayed where she was.

"Ryooshi, run!" Tsume snarled, but it was in vain, because she didn't dare move.

"Ryooshi," Keiji echoed. "Is that your name? No wonder you didn't want us to know it."

"Let them go," she breathed, finally. "They haven't done anything."

"Wrong," Keiji replied flatly. "They killed some of my men back in the city."

"_Your_ men?" Ryooshi repeated with a frown.

"Oh, yes," Keiji remembered. "After you left, I was promoted to platoon leader. _My_ men were assigned the city where a pack of wolves escaped, and one of them looked a lot like one of ours. Naturally I had to go after it, I just didn't think it'd be _you_, partner."

"I'm not your partner," Ryooshi growled. "You never treated me like your partner!"

"And why would I?" Keiji shot back. "You're a wolf."

"Leave them alone," Ryooshi snapped, getting back to the present. "Just let them go, please."

"Finally find a place where you belong?" Keiji taunted. "I remember what you used to say about not belonging anywhere after what you'd done. Do they know what you really are?"

"Yes, they do," she replied without hesitation.

"And why should I let them go? What's in it for me?" Keiji wondered and Ryooshi felt herself panic. What the hell could she offer him to leave them alone?! "Tell you what," Keiji murmured, stepping a little closer to her. "You come back with us, and I'll let them go."

Ryooshi shot a wide-eyed look of shock at him that turned to anger as she hissed, "Go back to that hell-hole to be a Hell Hound?!"

"It's either that or your friends get shot full of holes right here and now," Keiji replied and Ryooshi felt a lump form in her throat.

She glanced at the group where they all stared in wonder at the scene then cast her eyes down in thought. Here she was again, being given a choice to become something she'd regret, or die. But this time it was different. It wasn't just _her_ they were going to kill. They would kill her friends as well. The thought of them dying, Kiba never seeing Cheza again, Toboe never seeing Liona again, it made her heart drop to her stomach, and the thought of never seeing Tsume again made her heart dig deeper into her stomach. But, if it let them live, she'd have to choose the lesser of two evils.

"Fine," she muttered, so the others couldn't hear her, feeling tears run down her cheeks. "I'll go." She looked back at Keiji with a burning gaze. "But you leave them alone, because if I find out you killed them anyway, I'll become your worst nightmare. _You_ know I will."

"Fair enough," Keiji choked, then cleared his throat and turned to one of the men in the helicopter to order, "Hand me one of the leashes."

The pack of wolves who appeared in their human forms now straightened and glanced between Ryooshi and the Wolf Hunters. One of the men in the chopper tossed Keiji a chain link choker leash and Ryooshi appeared in her wolf form so that he could slip it over her neck.

"Ryooshi! What the hell are you doing?!" Tsume growled, but she hung her head once the leash was on, not looking at any of them as they stared at her in disbelief and wonder. "Ryooshi, this isn't funny!"

She still didn't look at him, or respond as Keiji led her to the helicopter then helped her get in as the sun began to rise. Tsume ran toward the chopper, but one of the men pointed his gun at him. That didn't seem to stop him because he kept running but Kiba shouting at him to stop behind him brought him to a halt just as he came inches from the barrel of the man's gun. He snarled at the men inside then turned to Ryooshi who stared back at him for a moment, then bowed her head, her ears lowered to the sides in sorrow. Tsume stared at her with wide eyes. He realized at that moment, she was protecting them by letting the Wolf Hunters take her.

"Don't do this," he pleaded and she only gave a small whine as she turned her head away from him. "Don't do it!"

"Get back, mongrel!" one of the men snarled and used his foot to shove Tsume in the chest and to the ground, making Ryooshi straighten and stare out the side at Tsume with wide eyes.

"Let's go," Keiji ordred, and the helicopter engine was started.

Suddenly thinking only of Tsume and wanting to be near him, Ryooghi tried to leap out of the chopper, but Keiji held tightly to her leash, making it impossible for her to escape. She tried clawing her way past the men in front of her, but was unsuccessful. The leash around her neck tightened as she struggled against it, but she didn't feel the pain as the chopped lifted from the ground and into the air. She saw Tsume on the ground, staring up at the chopper in anger and disbelief and still struggled.

"It's too late, mutt!" Keiji strained against her struggle. "You jump out of this chopper you'll be killed, along with your friends!"

_I don't care!_ was all she thought. _At least I'd die with them! At least I won't be alone in my death like I thought! At least I'd die with the one I love!_

She stopped struggling and as Keiji pulled her back to where she was supposed to sit, she howled as the chopper faded into the sunrise.

"_Tsume_!"

* * *

**A/N:** holy crap! did she just say she loved him?! yes she did. holy crap! what's gonna happen next?! i have no idea. lol! well, all i can say is, reviews?


	22. Guilt

**A/N:** wow...i'm on a roll. enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 22: Guilt**_

The pack sat around the burnt out fire from the night's festivities while the people of the village cleaned up around the tents. They'd gone back and told the Chief what had happened. Depressed and confused, they sat, trying to be angry with Ryooshi for going back to the Wolf Hunters, but finding it difficult. They all knew she had been protecting them, and out of all of them, it was eating at Tsume the most.

"I tried to stop her," Toboe mumbled, breaking the silence that had reigned over their space for who knew how long. "She didn't want any of you to die for her. She kept saying that. She said I didn't understand." He sniffled and rubbed his nose then shouted, "What I _really_ don't understand is why she went with them!"

"She did it to protect us," Kiba said, calmly. "She probably said she'd go back with them if they left us alive. That Wolf Hunter could have shot Tsume, but he didn't. Ryooshi saved our lives."

"Yeah, well, if saving our lives meant going back with those jerks, I'd have taken the bullet instead," Hige chimed in as Blue tended to the bullet wound in his shoulder.

"She had obviously changed her mind at some point," Blue chimed in. "Did you hear her howling as the chopper went on? She sounded so sad."

Kiba turned to Tsume who hadn't said a word and stared at the pit of firewood that was still smoking slightly, lost in thought. They had all heard Ryooshi howl his name, and none of them wanted to even ask his opinion on what to do or what he thought. Kiba however, knew _something_ had to be done, and unless they all agreed, nothing _would_ be done.

"Tsume," he prompted, but the silver-haired man only continued staring at the burnt out fire. "What do you think?"

He didn't say anything for a moment. He was still lost in thought. He was playing back everything that had happened that night. From the time he had been sitting with Ryooshi at the fire, the time they'd spent in the tent together, up until he'd seen the sheer sorrow and guilt in her eyes as she sat in the helicopter that had taken her away. The sound of her howl rang in his head, and he knew that unless he did something about it, it would all drive him insane.

"All of you should eat," Runs with Horses advised, approaching on the other side of the fire. "You may not have appetites now, but you need to eat."

"We will, thank you Chief," Kiba assured him, and he nodded, turning to leave, but he was stopped.

"Chief," Tsume called, still staring at the fire pit as the Chief turned and all eyes were on him as he asked, "What's to the east?"

Chief Runs with Horses frowned but thought for a moment as the others frowned at him. Kiba was the first to realize why he'd asked this question but said nothing as the Chief thought.

"Twenty miles from here there is a lake to the east," Runs with Horses replied. "It is surrounded by sand and serves as a watering hole for the desert creatures."

Tsume finally looked to the Chief and nodded his thanks then turned to Kiba and asked, "How long would it take us to travel twenty miles?"

"Hold on," Hige piped up, drawing everyone's attention to him. "What makes you think she's at the lake?"

"The helicopter went east," Tsume reminded him. "They must have a base or something there. Why else would they go that way if they didn't have some kind of headquarters there?" He looked at Kiba and asked again, "How long?"

"If we keep going without stopping," Kiba guessed, "Two days, maybe longer."

"We'll go now," Tsume decided and all eyes shot wide at him as he stood.

"Tsume, what about Hige!" Toboe reminded, gripping his hand before he could walk away. "He can't travel very well with his wound!"

"Fine then!" Tsume snarled, yanking his hand from the young pup's grip. "_You_ stay here and take care of him if you're gonna whine about it!"

"Tsume, calm down," Blue called, soothingly and Tsume shot his burning stare at her. "They won't kill her."

"No, they'll just _use_ her!" Tsume snarled again. "Is that alright with _you_?! It's not with me!"

"Keep snarling at her like that and I'll rip you a new one, Tsume!" Hige growled, ignoring the pain in his shoulder.

"Bring it on, porky!" Tsume growled back. "I'm ready for it!"

"Stop," Kiba called calmly, and both wolves only gave each other little warning growls. "Blue's right," he continued. "They'll need her to track more wolves. It'll probably take a while to get her started again. We'll need all our strength if we're planning to go after her and rescue her. We'll leave tonight and draw some of our energy from the moonlight."

"Whoa, déjà vu," Hige smirked as Tsume sat back down. "Where have I heard that one before?"

"It worked," Kiba reminded him and Hige shrugged, making him wince at the pain in his shoulder.

Tsume glanced around at the group, itching to get going. He didn't want to think about what could be happening to Ryooshi at that moment, but he knew it couldn't have been good. Based on the look of terror she had when that man stepped from the chopper, he knew he was probably hurting her and caging her. He could just imagine Ryooshi lying in a cage and shivering with cold. He could imagine that human that took her away beating her until she couldn't move. His fists clenched as he leaned his arms on his knees. They needed to leave, and soon.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Growls, snarls and metal clanged was the sound that filled her ears as Ryooshi lay in a cage near the door in a line of other wolves, but the wolves around her had been taken captive against their will, or had changed their minds about hunting their own kind. The ones to the right and left of her were throwing themselves against the bars of their cages to get them open.

"It's no use," she muttered unmoving, her chin on her crossed paws. The wolves on either side of her froze and looked at her with wide eyes. "You didn't notice? The bars go down into the ground. So if you're trying to knock it over, it won't work. No use trying to pry the bars apart with your teeth, either. The metal will break them. The tops are welded to the bars, too."

"How can you be so calm?!" the wolf to her right growled. "Don't you know why you're here?!"

"A little more than _you_ probably realize," she grumbled.

"Then why aren't you trying to get away?!" the wolf to her left snarled.

"Don't ask," she replied. "Just take my advice. You'll only tire yourself out trying to escape. You won't get anywhere, trust me."

"They found you too, 102?"

Ryooshi frowned, lifting her head at the sound of the voice behind her. She looked behind her at the next row of cages and her eyes widened in recognition. A half-breed sat in the cage, white fur covering his face, stomach and legs and the bottom part of his tail. A spot of black fur was centered on his forehead, and black fur covered his ears, back and the top of his tail. His eyes, thought you couldn't tell at first glance, were two different colors. One was pale blue, the other was pale green.

"Nikita!" Ryooshi breathed, shooting to her feet and stepping closer to the back of the cage to speak to him. "You escaped too?!"

"Yup," he nodded. "You inspired me. I escaped a week after you did."

"I had wanted to somehow open all the cages, but I didn't have any time, otherwise _all_ of you would've gotten out," Ryooshi confessed, laying down again but this time keeping her head up.

"Looks like it doesn't matter now," Nikita replied. "We ended up here again anyway."

"How long were you out?" she asked.

"Same as you, so…two years?" he replied and she nodded.

"Where'd they find you?"

"I was hiding in a city south of here," he explained. "They found me hiding in an alley somewhere."

"That's where I was," Ryooshi reported. "I helped a pack of wolves get out of that city but they found us staying with an Indian friend of mine."

"You found a pack?" he wondered but Ryooshi bowed her head and shook it.

"Well, in a sense," she recanted. "For at least a day or so, I felt like one of them, but when the Wolf Hunters tried to kill them…I knew I didn't belong. I'll never belong."

"You came back to save them?" Nikita guessed and she nodded. "You realize they probably just killed them anyway when you weren't looking?"

"No," Ryooshi murmured, shaking her head. "I'd know it. I'd feel it if that happened."

"You must have been really close to them, huh?" he guessed. "I remember what it's like being in a close pack like that."

"Yeah," Ryooshi agreed. "There's nothing like it."

"Were they sad or angry when you left?" Nikita inquired and Ryooshi thought back in sorrow at the look on Tsume's face. He'd figured out what she was doing, and she had hoped he wouldn't. She _wanted_ them to hate her for leaving to hunt her own kind again. At least they would say good riddance and it would be easier for her to let go of them, to be rid of them. But Tsume knew she was protecting them, and she only prayed they wouldn't try to come for her. Her attempt would have been for nothing if they died trying to rescue her.

"I think they were more shocked than anything," she finally replied. "One of them figured out why I was coming back."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Nikita observed. "At least they know you didn't want it to end up the way it did."

"Yeah, but this pack is something else," she couldn't help but smile. "They've been through a lot. If they figured out I had no choice, that I was protecting them, they'd come for me."

"That's suicide," Nikita scoffed. "If it's any consolation, I think they'll realize that and stay away."

"You'd think," Ryooshi replied. "If anyone, it'll be the one that figured out what I was doing that'll get the others to come after me. Then again, _all_ of them might wanna come after me."

_Please, don't,_ she prayed. _Don't come for me. If you do, what was me coming back here to protect you for? Just stay away. Kiba, go back to Cheza. Tell her I'm sorry I couldn't keep the promise I made to her. Toboe, go back to Liona and that cute little kitten. Hige, Blue, have a big litter of puppies and be happy. Tsume..._

She swallowed a huge lump that suddenly formed in her throat at the thought of him.

_Tsume...find someone better than me, and be happy with her. I love you, but I know I have to let you go. Please, if you love me, or have any feelings for me at all, stay away._

"102," Nikita called, catching her attention. "What's your real name? I know you don't want the humans to know, but---"

"It's Ryooshi," she cut in with a small, weak smile. "My name is Ryooshi."

"That's a pretty name," Nikita smiled back. "But I can see why you didn't want the humans to know."

"It doesn't matter now," she sighed, setting her chin on her paws. "Keiji already knows it. The rest probably know by now too. Not that they ever use our names."

"Hey, Ryooshi?" he called again.

"Yeah?"

"After you got out, did you ever think about what you'd done for the past years you were here?"

"All the time," she sighed, exhaustedly.

"Did you have nightmares?"

"Every night."

"What did you do about them?"

Ryooshi lifted her chin and they stared at each other for a moment before she finally replied, "I didn't sleep."

"But…that's impossible," Nikita stated.

"Man, Nikita, can't you take drama for what it's worth?!" Ryooshi wondered, teasingly.

"Of course not!" he shot back, jokingly making both of them chuckle but he asked again, "Honestly, though. What did you do?"

Ryooshi sighed, "I didn't have nightmares for the past several nights. I think it was because I was with that pack. They calmed me. You get nightmares?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I never got rid of them."

"Well, all I can say is, get ready for more," she muttered and frowned when he laughed, softly. "What's so funny about that?"

"Just one of the things I missed about you," he explained. "You're always so blunt."

"At times," she scoffed and closed her eyes, attempting to sleep.

She knew it would be a while before they actually got to processing her, and even with all the noises around her, she was sure she could get to sleep. She just hoped she didn't dream of the pack. Least of all Tsume. If she did, she knew her heart would burst in her chest.

* * *

"_Ryooshi, come on! We gotta go!" Tsume shouted at her through the bars of the cage she was lying in._

"_Just leave me," she groaned in pain. She was badly beaten and lying on her side on the other side of the bars in her wolf form. "I'm not worth it. Leave me here."_

"_Like hell I'm gonna do that! Get your tail up, Ryooshi!" Tsume snarled, pulling at the bars that he couldn't pry open._

"_Why, Tsume?" she groaned on the other side of the bars, unmoving. "Why did you come for me? Don't you hate me?"_

"_How many times do I have to tell you I don't hate you?!"_

"_Why not?" she breathed, her voice fading, and he could tell she was losing consciousness. "Why don't you hate me? I betrayed you."_

"_Ryooshi, stay awake!" he barked back. "Stay awake! Don't you dare die on me! You __can't__ die! Get up!"_

_No response came, and his heart raced in fear._

"_Get up, dammit!" he snarled in more fear than anger. "Get your tail up before the humans get here and kill us all! Get up! Fine! I'll admit it! I love you dammit! Now get up! Ryooshi, get up! __Get up__!"_

Tsume started awake, lifting his head from his paws and almost jumping to his feet. He glanced around at the other wolves lying around him in the moonlight in the middle of the desert and gave a silent sigh. It was only a dream. Hell, that was no dream. That was a _nightmare_. He was glad it wasn't real, but at the same time, he was afraid it was a premonition. The fact that it was so vivid scared him beyond belief.

"She'll be fine, Tsume," Kiba called as the white wolf lay in front of Tsume who looked up at him with wide eyes. "She's strong. She won't let anything bad happen to herself. Not to mention, the humans need her. She's fine."

"I wish I could believe you," Tsume replied, setting his chin on his paws again. "I keep seeing her lying beaten on the ground, and I keep thinking it was my fault it ended up like this. I had the opportunity to jump in that helicopter and get her out of there, but I didn't. I keep asking myself why I didn't do what I could have to get her out of there."

"You're doing what you can now," Kiba replied. "You're going after her."

"But what if we're too late?" Tsume questioned. "What if she's so deep into being a Wolf Hunter that she can't come back?"

"If it didn't happen after three years, it won't happen after three days," Kiba assured him. "She still feels guilty for all the things she's done. As long as she feels guilt, she won't turn."

"I guess," Tsume muttered. "I still feel like it's my fault."

"Imagine how the rest of us feel," Kiba replied. "None of us did anything either. You're not the only one who feels guilty. Think about Toboe. You told him to keep Ryooshi with the humans in the canyon, and she ended up with us anyway."

"That's not the _runt's_ fault," Tsume replied, defensively. "She got away from him."

"Blue could've gotten her out of the chopper too."

"She was guarding Hige. He was shot."

"_I_ could have stopped them somehow."

"Actually, yeah, you could have," Tsume replied, jokingly.

"It's no one's fault that this happened, Tsume," Kiba continued. "Ryooshi was trying to protect us."

Tsume said nothing and only sat with his chin on his paws, not being able to help thinking he'd let her down. He reminisced on their conversation behind the tent, the morning after their first night in the village. He made a promise, right then that he would _not_ let history repeat itself. He would go back for the one left behind, and nothing was going to scare him this time.

_Give 'em hell until we get there, Ryooshi_, he smiled, silently. _If anyone can give them a rash of crap, it's you._

* * *

**A/N:** ok, so, i wanted to put this at the bottom becuase i didn't wanna give anything away. this chapter, and any others that involve this character, are dedicated to my aunt's Siberian Husky Nikita. she couldn't keep him at her house so he ended up staying with my grandmother. they said he was pure breed, but we all figured he had a little wolf in him (no joke) he passed away a few years ago. he was a beauty. so, Nikita in this fic is what I think my aunt's dog would be like if he were a wolf in Wolf's Rain. reviews?


	23. Find Me

**A/N:** dang! seriously! on a roll! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 23: Find Me**_

"Welcome back, 102," Keiji smirked, smugly as he opened a cell door for Ryooshi and she trudged in, head bowed, tail and ears down. "Or maybe I should call you our little huntress, huh?"

She held back a sigh as she curled herself into a corner and lowered her chin onto her paws. She had been afraid they would start calling her that. Then again, some of the others had names meaning similar things, but the humans never called them anything but 'mutt.'

"Alright, mutt," Keiji called through the bars as he shut the cell door and locked it. "You'd better get some rest. You're gonna be real busy later."

"That so?" Ryooshi muttered.

"Oh yeah," Keiji nodded, leaning on the bars. "We set up a new program while you were gone, and _you're_ on the list of candidates."

Ryooshi lifted her head and cocked her head to the side, curiously as she asked, "Me?"

"Yup," Keiji nodded again, smirking sadistically.

"What program is it?" Ryooshi wondered, hesitantly. She could only imagine what these ruthless killers had in store for her.

"It's a _breeding_ program," Keiji replied and leaned off the bars to walk away. Ryooshi shot to her feet, assuming her human form, and ran to the bars to try to catch Keiji, her heart pounding in panic.

"What the hell are you talking about a _breeding_ program?!" Ryooshi snarled. "I won't have any part of it! I'm not making little killing machines for you! Get back here! Keiji! I won't do it!"

Ryooshi watched as Keiji walked away without another word, her hands gripping the bars and she leaned her forehead against the bars. So, they were _breeding_ their the wolves they used now. She wouldn't do it. If she ever had pups, they wouldn't be used to be trained into killing machines. She wondered who they would choose to get her pregnant. Whoever it was, she wasn't about to let him anywhere near her.

"Get in there ya damn mutt!"

Ryooshi jumped at the sound of the man's voice and turned to the cage next to her to see a she-wolf with blonde fur and a thin red band over her forehead with a white 'U' stitched in the center thrown into the cell. She smacked against the wall and fell onto her side on the ground. Ryooshi hurried to the bars separating her from the new wolf, thinking she was seriously hurt, but to her surprise, the blonde wolf jumped to her feet and snarled at the cage as it shut.

"Snarl all you want, you're doing it next time!" the man growled back, shutting the cage door. The she-wolf ran to the bars and tried grabbing his arm in her fangs, but he stepped away from the door, quickly then pounded a metal baton against the bars, shouting, "Shut up!"

He walked away and the she-wolf growled at him then began pacing around her cell. She turned to Ryooshi, feeling herself being stared at and Ryooshi quickly sat and looked away from her.

"What's wrong?" the she-wolf wondered, lying down.

"I didn't mean to stare," Ryooshi replied. "I was just wondering if you were ok. I guess you are."

"That's nice of you," the blonde wolf replied, cheerfully. "You new here, too?"

"Sort of," Ryooshi muttered then decided to change the subject. "What was that Wolf Hunter so mad at you for?"

"Oh, I refused to let them breed me," she replied, licking at a scratch on her foreleg. "By the way, my name's Unaru. What's yours?"

"Ryooshi," she replied. "Is that what the U is for on your headband?"

"Yup," Unaru nodded and stood, appearing in her human form, to walk to the bars that divided the two she-wolves.

Ryooshi took a chance to examine her. Unaru was pretty, and couldn't have been any older than Toboe. Her hair was straighter than straight and fell in front of her face at jaw length, held out of her golden eyes by the headband and short in the back. She wore a golden fur-lined vest tied with a leather string in the front, striped arm warmers that reached from her wrist to mid-bicep. Her jeans had fur cuffs at the ankles that matched her vest and she wore short-top, tan boots.

"So, Ryooshi," Unaru chirped. "How'd they get you here? You can't tell me you _willingly_ joined this outfit."

"Well, they threatened some friends of mine," Ryooshi replied, hesitantly. "They said they'd kill them if I didn't come back."

"Come back?" Unaru echoed. "You were a Hell-Hound before?"

"Are they really calling us that?" Ryooshi wondered and Unaru nodded. "They didn't when _I_ was one."

"So how'd they get you here the first time?" Unaru rephrased.

"Fear," Ryooshi sighed, leaning her head back against the stone wall she was leaning against. "They said they'd kill us if we didn't join. Like a coward, I accepted."

"That's not cowardly," Unaru scoffed and Ryooshi shot her gaze at the other she-wolf in disbelief. "It's survival instincts. That's what you did to survive, right? I can tell you didn't like being here, any more than I do right now."

There was silence for a moment and Ryooshi gave a small smile and nodded then asked, "How'd you get here?"

"They saw how I fought and caught me," Unaru replied then muttered, "Drag me here in a cage then try to breed me with an _ugly_ S.O.B."

Ryooshi giggled at Unaru's mutterings and asked, "How long have you been here?"

"A week. You?"

"I just got here yesterday. Processing took forever to get to me."

There was another moment of silence before Unaru asked, "So, these friends of yours, is it your pack?"

"Yes and no," Ryooshi replied. "I thought maybe I could be one of them, but I just brought trouble for them."

"Wolf Hunters tracked you down?" Unaru guessed and Ryooshi nodded. "Well, you better make up your mind about whether or not you're part of their pack, 'cause when we get outta here, you're gonna need somewhere to go."

Ryooshi shot her gaze at Unaru as she sat back, her hands cradling the back of her head and bringing one knee up to lean the other on top of it.

"Get outta here?" Ryooshi breathed and Unaru peeked at her with a sly smirk.

"Call it female intuition, but I have a feeling that tomorrow, we're gonna be sprung," she grinned and frowned when Ryooshi only stared at her with wide eyes. "Hey, turn that frown up-side down! Be happy! We're getting' outta here!"

"102," Keiji suddenly called from in front of her cage door, making both she-wolves jump with a start and look at him. "Time to get humping."

"Sick bastard!" Unaru growled, launching from her place to the bars of her cell in her wolf form and snapping her jaws at him. "You leave her alone!"

"Made a friend already, have you, 102?" Keiji smirked, smugly at Unaru whose jaws were just out of reach to bite him as he unlocked the cell door. "Try not to rope her into your escape conspiracy, huh? She'll only get killed."

"It's _you_ whose gonna be killed!" Unaru growled, back in her human form and her hands clenching the bars. "And _I'm_ gonna be the one to kill you!"

"I'm so scared," Keiji shuddered, mockingly as he opened the door to Ryooshi's cell, a chain link choker leash in his hand. Ryooshi stood in her wolf form so he could slip the leash onto her neck and he pulled her roughly from the cell.

"Bite him in the balls, Ryooshi!" Unaru suggested as they passed her cage. "Don't let 'em take you in there! The male they set you up with is gonna be ugly as hell! Don't do it!"

"Shut up!" Keiji snarled, and hit his baton on the bars of her cell as Ryooshi lowered her head and obediently let him lead her down the row of cages to a door at the end of the isle.

"She reminds me a bit of you, 102," Keiji smirked, evilly. "All full of fire and optimism. Now look at you. Obedient and sedate. Just like a pet. And most importantly, you're _very_ loyal."

That made Ryooshi stop dead just before the door. Keiji felt the tug on her leash and stopped to frown at her. She was just standing there. She wasn't struggling, or trying to slip the leash from her neck, or trying to run away, she just _stood_. She stood and thought.

She thought about when she'd met Kiba, how happy she was to see another wolf in the city. She'd been so happy because she thought the Wolf Hunters had gotten there and wiped all of them out. She remembered when she met Toboe, how he'd helped her out of the rain. Memories of Hige and Blue followed, how she'd envied their love for each other.

Then came thoughts of Tsume. The one she loved. The one she'd _really_ been protecting by coming here. The thought of letting the Wolf Hunters breed her to make more Hell-Hounds made her dig her claws into the ground. The thought of betraying her love for Tsume made her hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

She growled, lowly, every muscle in her body tensed and filled with the urge to kill. The urge to kill those who wanted her to betray the one she loved. The urge to kill those who took her away from him. The urge to kill Keiji and all Wolf Hunters.

"I'm loyal, alright," Ryooshi growled, softly as she slowly turning her jade eyes to Keiji. "Loyal to who I am, and who I love, and to my friends. You're _not_ using me to make little killing machines. I won't let you!"

"Aren't you a little _old_ for a rebellion?" Keiji smirked smugly then yanked on her chain, but she ignored the pain it surged into her neck and held herself in her place.

"I'm not your pet!" she snarled. "I'm a wolf, dammit! My name is not 'mutt' or '102'! My name is Ryooshi and I'm good damn proud of it!"

"I hate these speeches," Keiji sighed in exasperation.

He reached to his belt and Ryooshi knew he was going for some kind of weapon. She growled and leapt at him before he could pull whatever it was from his belt and clamped her fangs down onto his arm holding the leash. He cried out in pain and a few men came to help him but Ryooshi let go of his arm, leapt over the men and ran back down the isle. Shouts followed her, but she paid no attention as she ran to the control panel on the other side of the room.

"Loose wolf! Get it!" Keiji shouted in pain as he stood, but it was too late.

Ryooshi made it to the panel and pressed a red button. The doors to all the cages swung open. She pressed another button and the main entry door opened. She turned to see all the wolves run from their cages and toward the door. She attempted to run after them but the leash around her neck choked her.

"Gotcha, ya damn mutt!" one of the Wolf Hunters snarled behind her, yanking her back.

"Ryooshi" Unaru called, and made a move to run over and help her.

"Go!" Ryooshi called, struggling against the man on her leash. "Find my friends! Find the silver wolf with the scar on his chest! Head west! Find Tsume!"

Unaru nodded and ran to the doors, but the man on Ryooshi's leash reaching for the panel and hit the button to shut them. The doors started closing and men were running after the wolves that wouldn't make it out the doors. Unaru ran at top speed in her wolf form and barely got her tail through the doors before they closed. Ryooshi sighed in relief but it was short lived when she was yanked back, making her give a yelp.

"You're more trouble than you were when we first brought you here!" Keiji snarled and she attempted to bite him again, leaping toward him but the man on her leach held her back. "Get her in the back room with that half-breed. See if he can't sooth our little huntress."

Ryooshi snarled and tried again to jump at him but the man holding her leash started dragging her with difficultly toward the back room he'd tried to get her in before. He stood and thought for a moment then ordered, "Wait!"

The man on Ryooshi's leash stopped and turned to his platoon leader as he walked back to them and grinned, smugly down at Ryooshi.

"Take her back to her cell and beat her until she realizes how good she has it here," he ordered, not taking his eyes from Ryooshi. "Three meals a day, a good night's sleep. Where else can you get that?"

"I can get better food than that slop you give us!" Ryooshi snarled. "And 'good night's sleep' my ass! You know how many nightmares I've had of what I've done?!"

"So don't sleep," Keiji taunted then looked at the man on her leash and jerked his head toward her cell as he ordered, "Do it!"

"You'll see!" Ryooshi snarled. "Once Tsume and the others get here, you're gonna wish you'd never been born!"

"They won't come for you," Keiji laughed.

"Wanna bet, you hairless son of a bitch?!" Ryooshi snarled. "Flat-toothed jack ass! Standing trained monkey!"

"Shut up, mutt!" the man struggling with her strained and threw her into her cell. She gave a yelp of pain as she smacked against the wall, but stood as steadily as she could as the Wolf Hunter shut the cell door behind him after walking, metal baton in hand.

"Bad idea to lock yourself in here with a ravenous beast!" Ryooshi snarled, lowly.

"I said shut up!" the man snarled back.

He stepped close to hit Ryooshi square in the jaw with the baton. She gave a yelp and smacked into the bars that divided hers and the now empty cell next to her. She tried standing again but only got kicked in the side and smacked with the baton to the opposite side of the cell.

_You can take this, Ryooshi,_ she assured herself through the rattling of her head. _You can take what they dish out. You have before. This will be no different._

She tried standing again, but the ruthless Hunter grabbed her tail and pulled on it to drag her toward him, making her yelp and whine in pain. She tried to dig her paws into the ground to stop herself, but it was no use.

Having enough of her tail being pulled she turned and bit down on his armed hand. He cried out and punched her with his other hand to get her off. Ryooshi fell to the floor again and yelped with every kick he gave her to her stomach.

_Think of Tsume,_ she told herself. _He's coming for you, even thought you don't want him to, you know he is. He and the other are coming. Just hold out a little while longer. Find him Unaru. Find him._

"Always playing the martyr," Keiji called, tauntingly through the bars. She hadn't realized the man had stopped kicking her until she saw him standing off to the side. "Can't you just do as you're told?"

"If I did that," she panted, "then I wouldn't be a wolf. I wouldn't even be a mongrel dog. I'd be lower than that."

"What makes you so special?" Keiji wondered, almost sincerely.

"It's not me," Ryooshi breathed, starting to lose consciousness from the pain she felt everywhere, "it's my pack. _They_ make me special."

"You don't have a pack," Keiji scoffed.

"Yes I do," Ryooshi argued as everything went dark. "Yes…I…do."

* * *

**A/N:** YAY! Ryooshi found her spine again! lol! i know, you're all thinking i'm horrible because i beat her up. i'm sorry Ryooshi. *pets* oh, i couldn't resist Unaru. she came out awesome too. lol. Unaru is Japanese for Growl by the way. reviews?


	24. Let Loose the Dogs of War

**A/N:** ok, so maybe this won't exceed the 26 chapter limit. that seems to be my lucky number. lol! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 24: Let Loose the Dogs of War**_

"What is it?" Toboe asked as the pack stood around a blonde wolf lying on its side.

"It's a wolf, obviously," Tsume retorted.

"It's a girl," Blue observed.

"Is she dead?" Hige wondered, and Toboe crouched next to the wolf to stroke her fur.

"She's still breathing," Kiba noticed, seeing her sides moving up and down, shallowly.

"We don't have time to play nurse maid," Tsume growled and turned to walk away. "Let's go."

"But, Tsume---!"

Toboe was cut off when the blonde wolf shot to her feet, making Toboe shout in surprise and fall back onto his rear. The blonde dog was spotted with dirt, and panting from lack of water for who knew how long, the red headband on her forehead slipped down a little, almost covering one of her eyes.

"Well, she seems to have energy now," Hige observed and the she-wolf's golden eyes darted from Toboe to Hige to Blue to Kiba finally to Tsume. When she landed on Tsume, her eyes widened and he frowned at her in confusion.

"It's you," she breathed and suddenly started walking toward him, appearing in her human form, still dirty. "I found you…" She lifted a hand weakly toward his chest, toward the scar there and smiled weakly when she touched it, making him stiffen. "She told me to find you, and I did…Tsume…"

She passed out and on impulse, Tsume caught her before she hit the ground again.

"Hey!" he snapped, shaking her. "Who told you to find me?! How do you know who I am?!"

"Maybe we should give her some water to wake her up?" Toboe suggested, stepping next to her as he opened the canteen hanging around his neck. He poured some of the water over her lips and she instantly awakened and started lapping at it. Tsume stood her up again as she took the canteen from Toboe and took huge gulps of water from it.

"Thanks for that, cutie," she smiled, pulling the canteen away and wiping some water from her chin that escaped out of the corner of her mouth, her name for him making Toboe blush.

"Now that you're awake," Tsume began, snatching the canteen from her over her shoulder and making her whirl around to stare at him with wide eyes, "Who the hell are you?"

"Name's Unaru," she grinned, fixing her headband then looking at him with determination in her golden gaze. "And _you_ have to come with me."

"And why's that?" Tsume asked, uninterested as he closed the canteen and tossed it back to Toboe.

"Because I know where you're going," Unaru replied, her hands on her hips and all eyes shot to her. "Nobody would be out here if they weren't heading to the place I just came from. Nobody in their right _minds_ anyway."

"And why should we believe you?" Tsume demanded.

"Because the one who told me to find is a she-wolf named Ryooshi," Unaru replied, not afraid of him at all.

"You saw Ryooshi?!" Toboe asked, standing next to her and staring at her with wide eyes. "Is she alright?! She's not hurt, is she?!"

"Last I saw her she was being held back from running out of the Wolf Hunter's headquarters," Unaru replied. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she's been beaten for the little stunt she pulled, trying to escape."

"Dammit!" Tsume growled and turned to Kiba to snarl, "I _told_ you we should have left sooner!"

"Are you gonna follow me now, or just stand here snarling at your friends?!" Unaru barked, drawing his attention back to her. "It's not far from here. We should reach the place by sundown. If we hurry we can get there before they breed her."

"_Breed_ her?!" Tsume barked in surprise.

"Yeah," Unaru nodded.

"What the hell do you mean, 'yeah'?!" Tsume snarled at her for being so nonchalant. "She never mentioned anything about _breeding_ when she told us about these guys!"

"It's a new program they started a week ago, when I showed up there," Unaru explained. "Are you done ranting now? We gotta go!"

She darted off to the east and the others followed her, Tsume directly on her heels.

_Please be safe,_ he prayed. _Please don't let them hurt you. Fight, Ryooshi. Fight like I know you can._

* * *

_Night..._

"Well, this is great," Hige muttered as he and the others stared from the top of the sand dune down at the small buildings around a huge lake surrounded by sand. "There's gotta be at least five guards down there."

"The Hell-Hounds are inside," Unaru whispered, ducked between Tsume and Toboe.

"Hell-Hounds?" Toboe echoed.

"That's what they call us," she replied. "These guards don't need Hell-Hounds, so they think. They should be easy to take care of. Hell, I'll take 'em all down myself."

"Don't go into this with rage and anger," Kiba warned. "It might get you killed."

"Are you kidding me?" Unaru chuckled softly. "I'm not angry." She turned back to the view with a devious smile, shifting her muscles that were itching with tension to fight. "No, I'm not mad. Revenge is a dish best served cold, right? I'll be as cold as ice."

She hissed out the last word, licking her lips as if eyeing her next big meal. Toboe stared at her with wide eyes and she glanced at him, making a double-take at his expression and smiling.

"As cute as you are, you can't tell me you never went wild on a kill before, can you?" she murmured, inching closer to his face. Toboe stared at her and swallowed, a blush covering his cheeks.

"Actually, I have," he recalled, reminded of a time in his past life involving a huge walrus.

"Really?" Unaru smiled, slyly. "You're even _more_ adorable now."

"Enough flirting!" Tsume growled, softly, making Toboe jump and Unaru rolled her eyes in exasperation and pressed a small kiss to Toboe's nose, making his blush deepen before facing the buildings ahead. "We need a plan."

"I've got one," Unaru piped up. "Blitz attack."

"You wanna get shot to death?" Tsume retorted. "Be my guest."

"Well, then, what the hell is _your_ plan?" Unaru shot back and Tsume glared at her a moment before he looked ahead again.

"There has to be a back entrance, right?" he asked, thoughtfully.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Is it guarded?" he asked.

"No, but the door is wired with an electric current to keep the Hell-Hounds in," she explained. "I don't know if it'll affect anything touching the other side of it, but get anywhere near it on the inside, and you're as good as fried."

"Well, we'll just have to find out, won't we?" Tsume smirked, the wheels in his head turning. He turned to Kiba, sitting leaning next to him and asked, "What do you think?"

"Getting in is always easy," Kiba replied. "It's getting back out that's a challenge."

"Well said, oh White Wonder Wolf," Unaru smiled with a near-mocking nod of respect.

"You're more annoying than Ryooshi was when we first met," Tsume grumbled.

"I like her," Toboe chimed in and Tsume rolled his eyes.

"You would," he muttered then turned back to Kiba and prompted, "Well? What's the plan?"

"I thought _you_ had one," Hige piped up and Tsume glared at him.

"What do _you_ think we should do?" Kiba asked, knowing full-well that out of all of them, Tsume was the best planner. He thought for a moment, turning his attention to ahead again.

"We'll need someone to distract those guards while the rest of us sneak toward the back," he planned. "Maybe even a couple of us could distract them and take them out so there're no obstacles in our way when we get out."

"How do we decide who distracts them?" Unaru wondered, her tone hinting that _she_ wanted to be chosen.

"Since you're so eager, _you_ can do it," Tsume retorted. "But you'll need help."

"I'll go with her," Toboe volunteered.

"Nice try, runt. I mean _real_ help," Tsume argued then turned to Blue. "Think you can handle it?"

"You kidding me?" she smirked. "These guys won't know what hit 'em."

"Babe, I love it when you talk late that," Hige murmured, leaning over his shoulder to do so. "It gives my chills."

"Alright, save it," Tsume snapped. "Blue, you cover Sunshine over here. The rest of us will sneak around back and get in."

"How many Wolf Hunters are inside?" Kiba asked Unaru.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Usually about five or six."

"No more time to lose guys," Tsume said. "Let's go."

Unaru and Blue leapt from their places and slid down the sand dune, leaving trails of dust in their wake. It didn't take long for them to be spotted.

"Look! There's a pair of wolves!" one of the men shouted, and the two girls darted toward the lake between two of the buildings, the Wolf Hunters close behind.

"We've got 'em!" one of the men shouted, triumphantly as Blue and Unaru stopped at the lake's edge and turned to growl at them.

"They don't know what happens when a beast is cornered," Unaru growled, ready for a fight.

"_Especially_ a female beast," Blue agreed. Just as the men aimed their guns at them, the she-wolves leapt forward, a growl each.

* * *

Tsume, Kiba, Hige and Toboe slid down the sand dune, closer to the back entrance of the headquarters and unnoticed as Blue and Unaru distracted the Wolf Hunter guards. Tsume cautiously stepped toward the door and hesitantly touched the handle. Nothing. No electric shock went through his body and he gave a sigh of relief then turned to the other three.

"Toboe," he called, waving him over. The young pup stepped toward him and he set a hand on his shoulder as he continued, "You open the door and get your tail outta the way so we can get through and attack the guys inside, alright?"

Toboe nodded and stood at the door, taking the handle.

"I'll cover you and Hige," Kiba said, looking at Tsume. "You get Ryooshi out, Hige will get the rest out."

"You think you can take five guys on your own?" Hige wondered and the other three just looked at him, making him laugh at himself and say, "Yeah, I know. Look who I'm talking to."

"Alright," Tsume nodded. "You ready, Toboe?"

"Yeah," he nodded, bracing to open the door.

"On three," Tsume told him. "One…two…three!"

Toboe flung the door open, moved away for Tsume, Hige and Kiba to jump in and ran in after them. Sure enough, five men came after them, and the others stayed still as Kiba ran at them and clamped his jaws on the lead man's neck, snapping.

Tsume ran down the isle of cages, looking for Ryooshi while Hige ran toward what looked like a control panel near the front door and Toboe jumped another man to help Kiba cover Tsume and Hige. Hige jumped the man standing next to the panel he needed to get to, but the Wolf Hunter put up a fight, starting to punch and hit Hige. Meanwhile, Kiba jumped another Wolf Hunter and Toboe was right behind him.

"There're a little more than five or six men here!" Toboe noted aloud, sinking his fangs into one of the men's arms as he tried to hit him with a baton. Tsume moved from cage to cage, still looking for Ryooshi. He finally stopped and stood in front of the cell door, wide-eyed and his heart racing in his chest. She was lying in the back of her cell, in her human form, not moving. Almost exactly like his dream.

"God, no," Tsume breathed then called, "Ryooshi! Hey! Fur-ball! Get up!"

She groaned and stirred, her eyes fluttering open to give her a blurry vision of someone standing in front of her cell. Frowning and blinking she lifted her head a little blinked until the blurry figure was clear.

"Tsume?" she breathed, wincing as she tried to get up.

"Yeah, fur-ball, it's me," he replied, smiling slightly in relief that she was alright. "Can you move? You gotta get up. Hige's gonna get the doors open any minute."

"Look out!" Ryooshi suddenly shouted, her eyes wide and staring behind him. Tsume whirled around just in time to dodge a Wolf Hunter's metal baton. The thing smacked into the bars on Ryooshi's cage and Tsume gripped the man's shoulder and slammed his head into the bars, knocking him out.

"Porky! Get these damn cages open!" he snarled.

"I'm a little busy!" Hige growled back as he had his fangs in a Wolf Hunter's shoulder and he stood on the man's back as he whirled around, screaming in pain.

Tsume turned back to the cage and told Ryooshi, "I'll be right back."

He ran toward the control panel as Ryooshi called, "It's the red button!"

Stopping at the panel, he hit the red button and ran back to Ryooshi's cage to find her crawling toward the entrance. He dodged other wolves running for the front door just as it opened. Toboe jumped a Wolf Hunter running after Tsume just as he got to the door and ducked into the cage to scoop Ryooshi into his arms.

"I got you," he murmured as she slid her arms around his neck. "Just hold on."

"She found you," Ryooshi breathed, snuggling against his chest. "Unaru found you."

"She's helping us out," he confirmed, standing and hurrying out of the cell. "She's outside taking care of the guards with Blue."

"Which one's the button to open the door?!" Hige shouted at Tsume.

"The green one," Ryooshi told Tsume in a raw voice and Tsume relayed the message to Hige.

"Ryooshi! Where are you?!"

"Nikita," Ryooshi breathed as Tsume spun around to face the voice. Nikita, in his human form, ran toward the two, his eyes filled with horror at seeing Ryooshi battered and bruised.

"Who the hell are you?" Tsume snapped, making Nikita stare his slightly mismatched eyes in terror through strands of tousled black hair on pale skin.

"This is a friend of mine," Ryooshi explained, weakly. "Nikita, Tsume. Tsume, Nikita. Can we go now?"

"Not so fast!"

"_Now_ what?" Tsume groaned, turning toward the door to see one last man standing in the way. A man he recognized and made his blood boil. Keiji stood in front of the door, his arm in a sling and a gun in his uninjured hand.

"None of you are getting away!" Keiji shouted.

"Nikita," Ryooshi called, weakly and he could tell by the tone of her voice what the next word would be.

"Yeah, Ryooshi?" he smirked, poised for the command he knew was coming and would happily carry out, for once.

"Kill," she growled, slightly and Nikita shot toward Keiji standing in the door. The Wolf Hunter fired his gun at the half-breed, but he dodged the shots expertly and leapt with a growl at the man who let out a cry of sheer terror before there was a sickening snap.

"That's some half-breed," Tsume complimented as the other wolves jumped over his dead body and out the door.

"Ryooshi! Are you alright?!" Toboe called, running up in front of Tsume to look at her. "Ryooshi?"

Tsume frowned when there was no response and looked down at her. She had lost her human disguise and she wasn't moving. Toboe looked up at Tsume, fear striking both of them.

"What's wrong with her?" the young pup asked, near tears. Tsume didn't reply and didn't take his eyes from Ryooshi as he shook her, trying to wake her up.

"Hey, fur-ball," he urged, shaking her. "The runt asked if you were alright. Answer him, dammit!"

"What's wrong?" Hige called, stepping next to him.

"Ryooshi's not waking up!' Toboe whimpered.

"Well don't panic yet!" Hige scolded, holding back his own fear. "She's probably asleep! Let her rest, already!"

"We have to go," Kiba urged. "Hige's probably right, but we have to get out of here."

Tsume couldn't take his eyes from Ryooshi's limp body. She seemed lifeless, but he wouldn't lose hope. He _couldn't_. He knew she wouldn't let them down after coming all the way here just to die on them. This was what made him move and run out of the building and jump over the dead body of her former 'partner.'

"How is she?" Unaru called, standing at the entrance with Blue and running along side them as they ran from the building along with Nikita.

"She's not moving," Tsume muttered.

"We could take her back to Runs with Horses!" Toboe suggested. "Remember how that one Indian brought Kiba back? Maybe the Shaman of his village can do the same thing!"

"I'm tellin' ya, she's not dead!" Hige snapped, still being optimistic. He really didn't know if she was or not."

"Toboe has a point," Kiba told Tsume as they all stopped at the bottom of the sand dune they'd run down earlier. "It might work if she doesn't wake up by the time we get there."

Tsume swallowed and looked down at Ryooshi, still unmoving and nodded his agreement.

"Hey, who's this guy?" Hige asked, jabbing a thumb at Nikita, now in his human form.

"A friend of Ryooshi's," Tsume assured him. "Let's get back to that village."

"Mind if I come with you guys?" Unaru wondered and all eyes shot to her in disbelief. "I'd like to make sure Ryooshi's alright. Besides, I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Of course you can come," Toboe grinned and she smiled, leaning toward him to kiss his cheek, making him blush.

"Would you mind if _I_ came along as well?" Nikita asked and all attentions were turned to him this time. "I'm in the same boat as her. Ryooshi's my friend, and I have nowhere to go."

"I don't care who tags along anymore," Tsume muttered, looking back at Ryooshi. "Let's just get her help."

He started up the sand dune and Unaru scoffed, calling, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were in love with her."

"I am," Tsume replied, and didn't care if they were stunned to here it. He couldn't deny it now, after everything he'd done to get her back. He wasn't going to let her die on him before he had a chance to tell _her_ how he felt. It just _wasn't_ going to happen on his watch.

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**A/N:** wow! lol! so, i had to let Nikita have a little action because Nikita is love. reviews?


	25. Strengthening Visits

_**Chapter 25: Strengthening Visits**_

Tsume paced outside the tent as the others sat on the ground outside with him, the moonlight the only illumination. The Chief and the Shaman were inside the tent with Ryooshi, and he wanted to there as well, but they said the 'Ritual of Healing' as they called it, was not for foreign eyes, and even if they _were_ Ryooshi's friends, they were still foreigners.

"How long have they been in there?" Toboe wondered and Unaru only shrugged.

"She was out for three days," Hige remembered. "You sure she was even alive?"

"She still felt warm," Blue reported.

"Would all of you just shut up," Tsume growled, lowly.

"Don't get snippy," Unaru bit back and he stopped dead to send a burning glare at her. "And don't glare at me like that. You love her, right? Have a little more faith in her strength and quit pacing!"

"How long do you plan to keep her around, Toboe?" Tsume snarled. "Because she's _really_ starting to get on my nerves!"

He started marching toward them but Nikita stood in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder to keep him from advancing.

"Don't do something you'll regret," Nikita warned, and Tsume shot his angry gaze at him.

"Oh, I won't regret it one bit, half-breed!" he snarled back at him.

"I know you're worried," Nikita replied, calmly. "We _all_ are. But try not to take it out on the rest of us, alright?"

"It's the Chief," Kiba called, and Tsume whirled around to see the Chief emerge from the tent as the rest of the pack stood behind him to hear the news.

"Well, Chief?" Tsume was the first to ask. "It's been four hours. If she at least awake?"

"She is resting," Runs with Horses replied. "She is out of danger now. Only one of you may go in and see her at this moment."

Tsume took a step to go in, but Blue stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder, to which he responded with a glare at her.

"She probably doesn't have the energy for you yet," she explained. "Let me go in first, ok?"

"Why you?" Tsume growled, offended.

"Because _I_ won't strain her," Blue retorted, standing face to face with him, and refusing to back down. "Because it's a female thing."

Tsume snarled at her, but didn't stop her from turning and walking toward the tent and ducking into it. The Shaman sat on one side of the small fire inside and Ryooshi was lying, now in her human form on the other side under a thick, woven blanket. Blue carefully stepped toward her and knelt beside her with a smile as Ryooshi turned her head slightly toward the other she-wolf.

"Hey, Blue," Ryooshi smiled, weakly, lifting a hand to take one of hers.

"Hey, Ryooshi," Blue smiled back, taking her hand. "You really scared us all, ya know?"

"I know," Ryooshi groaned. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing you could do about it," Blue scoffed. "You were nearly beaten to death."

"I know, but none of this would have happened if I hadn't---"

"Don't you dare start blaming yourself again for _anything_," Blue interrupted, then decided to change the subject. "Unaru and Nikita are here."

"Really?" Ryooshi smiled.

"Yup," Blue nodded. "They'll want to see you too."

"And Tsume?" Ryooshi wondered. "He's there too, right? I mean, he wants to see me too, right?"

"Of course, silly," Blue smiled. "I just thought I'd come in here first so you didn't strain yourself too much."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Ryooshi assured her. "The Shaman here says that with each visit, my strength will grow. That's why the Chief is letting you in one at a time."

Blue nodded in understanding and leaned forward to suggest, "Maybe we should send Tsume in _last_ then, so that you're in tip-top shape when you see him?"

"He'll get mad," Ryooshi guessed.

"I'm sure once I explain the situation, he'll calm down and see reason," Blue smiled, slyly. "In the mean time, I'll send in Hige, ok? He'll cheer you up, I'm sure."

"Thanks, Blue," Ryooshi smiled, and the other she-wolf could see the Shaman was right, her strength _was_ getting better.

Blue stood and ducked out of the tent to be instantly bombarded by the rest of them asking how she was, how she looked, and who she wanted to see next.

"Hige," Blue replied to the last question mentioned, and Tsume was near to bursting into flames. Hige pulled back the tent entrance as Blue began to explain the situation to Tsume, and Ryooshi smiled as he walked in.

"Hey, there, Crazy," he joked with his crooked smile and plopped down next to her, making her giggle. "How ya feeling?"

"Better," she smiled, with a nod. "I knew you guys would come for me, even though I didn't want you to."

"You didn't want us to?" Hige echoed. "Why the hell not?"

"Because, I thought I wouldn't belong," she replied and wasn't surprised at all when Hige rolled his eyes. "I know, you're gonna tell me to stop feeling sorry for myself, and I have. I used the past tense. I'm glad you guys came for me."

"Well, we didn't need much convincing," Hige smirked. "Especially Tsume. He wanted to go after you as soon as you were out of sight."

"Were you all mad at me for doing what I did?" she wondered, slowly trying to sit up.

"Are you kidding?" Hige scoffed, helping her sit up. "We all knew why you did it. I, personally, didn't understand why you didn't let us all get shot rather than go back to that hell. Then I realized that what you did was actually really brave."

"Brave, huh?" Ryooshi scoffed, sitting up and twiddling her thumbs. "Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome," Hige grinned, patting her hands. "I better let you see the others. Who do you wanna see next?"

"Could you send in Kiba next?" she wondered. "I don't think I'm ready for the others just yet."

"I get it," Hige replied. "I'll send him in. Tsume's itching to see you."

"I know," Ryooshi nodded. "I hope he's not too upset."

"I uses I'll find out," Hige chuckled, making Ryooshi laugh, softly.

Hige headed out of the tent and looked to Kiba, and without saying a word, nodded to the tent. Kiba nodded and headed toward the entrance as Tsume and the others now sat again. Tsume had his arms crossed over his chest and tapped one of his fingers on his arm, impatiently as Kiba entered the tent.

"Are you alright, Ryooshi?" was his first question as he sat at her side and she nodded, definitely. "You seem to be getting better very quickly."

"I am," she nodded. "I hope rescuing me wasn't too much trouble."

"Why would you think that?" Kiba wondered.

"I've been nothing but trouble for you guys since we met!" Ryooshi guessed.

"No you haven't," Kiba protested, gently. "If it weren't for you, I don't think the rest of us would have even _tried_ to get our memories back. You had a big hand in helping us with that."

"Yeah, right," she scoffed, casting her eyes down and twiddling her thumbs again. "I talked Toboe into going ahead and trying to find you guys. And what happened after you all got your memories back? The Wolf Hunters showed up, and we had to leave the city. Toboe had to leave Liona and _you_ had to leave Cheza. Then the Wolf Hunters came after us, took me away and you guys came and rescued me, risking your lives."

"I told you, Ryooshi," Kiba reminded her, "you're part of our pack. We don't leave one of the pack behind."

Ryooshi nodded mutely, still twiddling her thumbs.

"Tsume cares a lot about you," he assured her. "If he thought you were trouble, he wouldn't have gone after you."

"Hige told me he wanted to leave right away," Ryooshi chuckled then sighed and confessed, "I care about him too, more than he probably realizes."

"Don't tell _me_ about it," Kiba smirked. "It's not me who needs to hear it."

"I know," Ryooshi retorted, smiling a little wider.

"Who do you want to see next?" he wondered.

"I think I'm ready for Nikita, now," she smiled, cheerfully. "He's probably almost as worried about me as Tsume."

Kiba nodded and stood to exit the tent. He stepped toward Nikita and said, "She'd like to see you next."

"Are you kidding me?!" Tsume snarled, ready to stand up but Blue placed a hand on his shoulder he flopped back down with another growl as Nikita entered the tent. He hurried to Ryooshi's side and she giggled as he leaned on all fours toward her.

"Are you ok?" he hoped, examining her closely.

"I'm fine now," she giggled, pushing him away from being so close. "Sit back and relax, already will you?"

He did as she told him and scooted closer to her as she still sat up.

"Why were so beat up?" he wondered. "Did you disobey Keiji?"

"Hell yes," Ryooshi scoffed. "Bastard wanted to _breed_ me! You think I'm gonna let that happen when I'm in love with someone else?!"

"You're…in love with someone?" Nikita breathed in astonishment and Ryooshi felt herself blush as she cast her eyes down and twiddling her thumbs again.

"Yes," she mumbled.

"Who?" he couldn't help but ask and Ryooshi felt her blush flare up a bit more.

"Tsume," she mumbled again and Nikita stared at her with wide eyes, then sat back, giving a little pout. Ryooshi frowned and looked up at him when he didn't say anything. He didn't look at her, he just sat there for a moment without saying anything and she knew right away why he wasn't talking.

"Oh, god, Nick," she breathed. "You don't…have feelings for me…do you?"

"Well, I _did_," he admitted, not looking at her. "But then when you escaped and I didn't see you I kind of…got over you. Then when we saw each other at HQ again I started remembering those feelings and…"

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad, Nikita, you know that, right?" she hoped when he trailed off.

"I know," he nodded, waving it off and pretending like it was nothing. "But Tsume seems like a…protective sort of guy. You're in good hands, and that's all that matters."

"You're not angry, are you?" she hoped.

"No," he smiled, finally looking up at her. "How could I be mad at you for this? You didn't even know."

"I know, but I still feel bad," she mumbled, bowing her head a little. He reached over and tilted her head a bit to look her in the eye.

"Don't feel bad," he said, still smiling. "I'm fine, see?" He placed one of her hands over his heart. "It's still beating."

Ryooshi giggled and nodded as he lowered her hand.

"Now, who do you wanna see next?" he asked.

"Unaru?" she wondered and he nodded, but before he stood, she gripped the hand he'd been holding. He frowned and she beckoned him closer. His frowned deepened as he leaned closer to her and she pulled him into a hug which he hesitantly returned.

"You're the best, Nick," she whispered before he pulled away and he nodded again as he stood and headed out of the tent.

"She wants to see you, Unaru," he called and she nodded, placing a kiss on Toboe's cheek before standing and heading toward the tent entrance.

"I'm getting really sick of this," Tsume muttered and Toboe patted the older wolf's shoulder as Unaru walked into the tent.

"Heya, Ryooshi," she grinned, stepping up next to her and plopping next to her.

"Thank you, Unaru," Ryooshi said, immediately. "I knew you'd find him. Thank you for your help."

"It was nothing," Unaru laughed, waving it off then leaned toward her with wide eyes and asked, "They didn't breed you, did they?!"

"No," Ryooshi smiled, shaking her head. "They just beat me up for being disobedient."

"Well, that's a relief, I guess," Unaru nodded. "It _is_, right?"

"It _is_," Ryooshi confirmed, nodding. "I wouldn't want to have a litter with anyone other than the one I love."

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that's Tsume?" Unaru smirked and Ryooshi grinned with a nod, unable to feel shy for her feelings toward him anymore. "I have to say, he seems a little mean. Other than saving your life and all, he was mean to me the whole time I was leading him to HQ!"

"Yeah," Ryooshi nodded. "That's sounds about right."

"What do you see in him?" Unaru wondered. "Personally, I'd like somebody adorable and sweet, like Toboe."

She gasped and threw her hands over her mouth as she and Ryooshi shot wide-eyed gazes at each other.

"You like Toboe?!" Ryooshi whispered, grinning.

"W-Well…" Unaru breathed, lowering her hands from her mouth. "Y-Yeah, I do."

"That's great!" Ryooshi smiled, taking Unaru's hands in hers. "He needs somebody to cheer him up right now. He's been feeling down since we had to leave the city and he had to leave his master behind. I don't think he could ask for a better girl than you!"

"You don't even really know me," Unaru reminded her. "How can you tell what kind of girl I am?"

"I can tell these things," Ryooshi assured her. "Trust me, you're _just_ what he needs. You cheered _me_ up a little back at HQ."

"I did?" Unaru smiled, hopefully and Ryooshi smiled with another nod. "Good. That's my goal in life: To cheer everyone up when they're down."

"Well, here's your chance to do it again," Ryooshi smiled. "He needs it."

"Gotcha," Unaru grinned with a wink and a thumbs-up. "You want me to send in Toboe or Tsume next?"

"Tsume's gonna hate me, but send in Toboe next," Ryooshi replied.

"I get it," Unaru nodded in understanding. "You look better already, Ryooshi. I didn't even have to ask how you were, you look so much better!"

"Thanks, Unaru," Ryooshi smiled and the blonde girl stood to head out of the tent.

Tsume stood, but she quickly called out in a sing-song voice, "Oh, Toboe!"

He looked up with wide eyes and she nodded to the tent, telling him he was next. Toboe exchanged a glance with Tsume who glared back at him as he shrugged and headed to the tent entrance. Unaru kissed his cheek as he passed, making him blush and look at her before ducking into the tent.

"H-Hey, Ryooshi," he sputtered, standing in front of the now closed tent entrance, still in shock from Unaru's action.

"Hiya, kid," Ryooshi smiled, knowingly. He finally stepped closer and sat next to her.

"Are you ok now?" Toboe hoped. "You look a lot better."

"Unaru said the same thing," Ryooshi smiled. "I _am_ feeling better." Toboe bowed his head, making her frown at him in wonder and ask, "What's wrong?"

"It's my fault," he mumbled. "If I had kept you with the villagers, you wouldn't have---"

"Don't you _dare_ think that, Toboe," she cut in and he looked up at her with wide eyes. "It's not _your_ fault that I ran off to the others. You did what you were told, and I rebelled. None of this was your fault."

"But---"

"Don't!" Ryooshi snapped, holding up a scolding finger. "Do I look like I blame you for _my_ stupidity?"

Toboe opened his mouth to reply but opted for shaking his head.

"Did Tsume get mad at you?" she wondered, and he only shook his head again. "Well, there you have it! If _he_ didn't react at all, then there's nothing for you to feel guilty about!" Deciding to change the subject she smirked slyly, leaning toward him and murmuring, "Hey, Unaru kissed you before you came in here, didn't she?"

Toboe's eyes shot wide at her as his blush returned and he breathed, "H-How'd you know?!"

"Lucky guess,' Ryooshi shrugged. "You like her?"

Toboe gave a small smile and nodded shyly, saying, "She's honest and a lot like _you_, Ryooshi."

"Really?" she chuckled. "She seems a little crazier than me, no?"

"Maybe a little," Toboe admitted with a small shrug, still smiling. "She's kind of a flirt, too. At least with me she is. She's not afraid of Tsume at all, either!"

"I'm guessing since she's here, the rest of you didn't mind her, huh?" Ryooshi smiled, adjusting her blanket.

"I didn't mind," he replied. "The others didn't mind either, and Tsume didn't seem to care at all whether she came with us or not. He was just worried about getting help for you here."

"He must be furious out there," she guessed and he nodded. "I'm surprised he hasn't just barged in here himself."

"Every time he tried to, Blue stops him," Toboe reported.

"Well, I guess I've kept him waiting long enough, huh?" she smiled, mischievously. "And I've kept _you_ from Unaru long enough, I'll bet, right?"

Toboe smiled, shyly and Ryooshi only giggled, tousling his hair and making him laugh as well.

"Send in the Big Bad Wolf," Ryooshi smiled and Toboe nodded, but before he turned to get up and leave, he threw his arms around Ryooshi and she returned the hug.

"I'm glad you're back, Ryooshi," he smiled, pulling away again.

"Thanks, Toboe," she smiled back and he stood to leave. Ryooshi frowned when the Shaman stood, having stayed silent through the coming and going visitors, and he headed to the tent entrance as well.

"Shaman," she called and he turned to her. "Thank you, for everything."

He remained quiet, nodded that she was welcome and passed through the tent entrance after Toboe who looked to Tsume.

"She wants to see you now, Tsume," he reported, heading back to Unaru who was sitting on the ground.

"About time!" Tsume growled lowly, marching toward the tent and throwing back the flap of the entrance to step in and stand next to the fire, still lit and stare at her with a burning gaze. She stared back at him with wide, jade eyes and after a moment she burst into a wide, warm smile.

"Hi," she smiled.

"Don't 'hi' me," he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest and staying in his place. "In case you didn't notice _I_ saved your life…_again_! What the hell kind of person doesn't ask for their _savior_ they've _claimed_ to care for before everyone else?!"

"I called you in last because I knew I'd want to spend a little more time with you than the others," Ryooshi explained, unaffected by his anger. "And I know you saved my life…again."

"Good," he snapped. "Don't you forget it!"

"I won't," she smiled and he stood there for a moment, glaring at her as she only smiled back.

After a moment he sighed in defeat and lowered his arms to his sides as he stepped toward her and sat next to her, leaning on one hand to face her, his legs stretched out in front of him. She smiled at him the entire time.

"You really scared us, you know?" he scolded. "We thought you were dead when you passed out like that."

"I was near it," she admitted. "But the Shaman brought me back."

"What the hell did he do to you in here?" Tsume wondered. "He wouldn't let us in."

"Tsume," she murmured with a smile, inching closer to his face. "If I told you that, I'd have to kill you."

"Very funny," he smirked back, but she stayed where she was, only a few inches from his face. He swallowed before asking the question he was dreading the answer to. "Did they end up…breeding you?"

Ryooshi smiled a little wider, keeping him in suspense by not answering for a second then replied, "No."

Tsume let out a breath he didn't know he was holding rather dramatically, making Ryooshi giggle and he said, "That's good."

A pause passed between them as they stared at each other for a moment. Knowing this was the perfect moment to tell him how she felt, Ryooshi took in a deep, silent breath and prepared to voice her emotions.

"Tsume," she called, meekly and he nodded that she had his attention. "I have to tell you something. Something important, and I won't blame you if you freak out a little, just don't get scared."

"Pfft. Me? Get scared?" he retorted and she gave a little giggle before he asked, "What is it?"

She took in another deep breath and cast her eyes down, thinking if she didn't look at him it would be easier to tell him.

"I…" she tried, but trailed off. Not looking at him was only making it _worse_! He didn't say anything as he took her chin into his fingers and tilted her face toward his again. Their eyes met, and Ryooshi didn't wait another second before blurting, "I love you."

Tsume scoffed, making her frown. Did he think she wasn't telling the truth? Was he laughing at her for feeling the way she did? That was meaner than mean, even for Tsume.

"You thought that would _scare_ me?" he murmured, suddenly pulling her chin toward his face. "Not by a long-shot. You know why?"

All she could do was shake her head, mutely in her confusion and daze at being so close to kissing him.

"Because I love you too," he admitted in a whisper, and Ryooshi's eyes shot wide before he planted his lips to hers.

Instantly melting into the kiss she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck as he lowered his hand from her chin and settled it on her waist. They pulled away at the same time and she smiled, widely.

"I still owe you a good scratch," he murmured. Ryooshi nodded as he gently pushed her back so that he was leaning over her as she lay on her back.

"Will you stay with me for the rest of the night?" she hoped, breathlessly.

"Sure," he smirked, moving a small strand of dark brown hair from her face. "I planned too anyway, fur-ball."

"I like _that_ nickname," Ryooshi smiled as Tsume slid himself under the blanket and pulled his arms around her.

"I thought you wouldn't like _anything_," he retorted and Ryooshi gave him a punch in the arm, to which he unenthusiastically muttered, "Ow."

"Just shut up and pet me," she smirked and he smirked back, lifting a hand to scratch under her chin. She sighed in contentment then asked, "_Now_ can I call you fluffy?"

"No," Tsume replied, instantly, making her giggle.

"Fine," she sighed. "You're just no fun."

"Shut up and let me pet you," Tsume muttered and she did until she fell asleep to the feel of his touch.

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**A/N:** yeah, talk and some fluff. ok, maybe _a lot_ of fluff. i couldn't help it! Tsume needs a tender, sweet side! just a little bit of a tender, sweet side. he's still moody, broody Tsume, though. anyway, reviews?


	26. Keeping a Promise

**A/N:** last chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 26: Keeping a Promise**_

"Well, I'm glad _that's_ over," Liona sighed, shutting the door after a Wolf Hunter that had come to report he and the rest of his platoon would be leaving. It had been almost a week since Kiba and the others had left the city, and she hoped they wouldn't wait the whole month to return like they'd planned. She headed toward the kitchen and as she passed the hall she called, "You can come out now!"

She walked to the stove where she'd been cooking dinner as Cheza walked into the living room from the hall, Ame the kitten in her arms.

"Apparently, these jerks are gonna be leaving soon," Liona reported as Cheza made her way to the chair by the fire and sat down. "That's good news, right?"

"Yes," Cheza agreed, Ame now sleeping peacefully in her lap as she still stroked him. "This one has not been a burden to you?"

"Of course not!" Liona smiled. "I'm glad to have you here! Besides, without Toboe here, it would've been really lonely if you weren't here. Thanks for keeping me company."

"Thank you for taking care of this one, Liona," Cheza smiled back, slightly.

"You thirsty?" Liona wondered and the Flower Maiden nodded. Liona pulled a huge bowl from a lower cupboard and filled it with water then carefully carried it toward Cheza and set it at her feet as the Flower Maiden lifted them then set her feet inside the bowl.

"Thank you," Cheza smiled, weakly and Liona nodded, but noted the gleam of slight sorrow in her solid red eyes.

"Something wrong?" she wondered and Cheza turned her blank stare at the other girl.

"This one misses Kiba and the others," Cheza admitted and Liona smiled, reassuringly, although she wasn't sure the Flower Maiden could see it, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"They'll be back before you know it, I'm sure," Liona assured her. "Maybe they'll catch wind that the Wolf Hunters have left and they'll come back sooner than a month? I'd bet good money that they'll do just that, too."

Cheza smiled and nodded, encouraged by the blonde's optimism and Liona gave a small nod as well before standing and going to the kitchen again. Cheza sat, still stroking Ame in her lap and drinking the water at her feet. She felt a small chill run through her, and her heart skipped, lightly. She turned to the door, sensing something there before she heard a few faint sounds at the door.

A young wolf with auburn fur ducked into the doggy door at the base of the door, silently and glanced around with wide amber eyes. Standing tall in his human form he stepped toward Cheza and grinned as he whispered in her ear to stay quiet, he wanted to surprise the blonde in the kitchen. Cheza nodded mutely and the young boy with auburn hair and amber eyes tip-toed into the kitchen.

She turned her stare to the door once more just as a black and white half-breed with slightly mismatched eyes ducked into the door silently as well, followed by another she-wolf with golden hair and a red head band across her forehead. She heard Liona squeak just a light brown wolf enter the small door, followed by a black she-wolf.

"Young Pup!" Liona grinned, excitedly as she threw her arms around Toboe's neck and hugged him close, just as a silver wolf with a scar on his chest ducked into the door, followed by another she-wolf with dark brown fur and a black necklace around her neck.

"Well, you've found some more friends, I see," Liona smirked as she stepped into the living room and Cheza sat up straighter as a white wolf with golden eyes stepped through the small door and looked straight at her.

The pack now stood in their human forms in the living room as Liona was introduced by Toboe to the newest members and Kiba instantly hurried to Cheza. He gently took the kitten from her lap and handed him to Ryooshi as she came up next to him, and he threw his arms around her, burying his face in the crook of her neck as she returned the embrace.

"I missed you," he whispered, pulling her a little closer.

"This one missed you as well," she smiled. "This one is glad you've all come back."

As they sat away from each other they gave a slight start when Unaru and Nikita started sniffing at her.

"You smell nice," Unaru smiled.

"Thank you," Cheza smiled in return, placing a hand on Unaru's head and scratching it, making Unaru grin and giggle as the Flower Maiden petted her.

"You must be Cheza," Nikita guessed. "Kiba told us all about you on our way back here."

Cheza nodded, reaching toward him and scratching under his chin, making him sigh in contentment.

"Well, looks like I've got a pack of wolves for dinner tonight," Liona grinned, her hands on her hips. "Glad you're all back, pups."

"Hey, Liona!" Ryooshi grinned, still holding the kitten as she hurried toward the blonde. "Can you make some of that delicious meat sauce with those meatballs you made when I stayed over the first time?!"

"Sure!" Liona chirped with a nod. "I'm sure you'll all like it. Hang out by the fire and I'll see if I have enough bowls to serve all of you."

"Tsume and I can share a bowl," Ryooshi smiled, turning to him. "You won't mind, right? It'll be _so_ romantic."

"Who's the damn love-sick puppy _now_?" Tsume nearly growled, not wanting to show weakness in caring, even though he'd do anything for her, and didn't really care if he had his own bowl of food or shared with her. Ryooshi giggled as she walked toward him and, after handing the kitten off to Nikita, kissed Tsume's cheek making him sneer, but after the sneer he gave her a small smirk.

"Hige and I can share a bowl, too," Blue called and Liona nodded as they sat themselves in front of the fire.

"Unaru can share a bowl with me," Toboe voiced and small clatter of dishes came from the kitchen.

Liona looked from the kitchen to Toboe in the living room with wide eyes but he didn't see her as he sat with Unaru across from Hige and Blue. The blonde girl noticed Unaru place her hand between herself and Toboe, and she also noticed Toboe place his hand on top of hers. The two glanced at each other and Unaru smiled as she leaned in to press a soft kiss to his cheek, making him blush and look away.

"Young Pup," Liona smirked with an impressed tone, drawing his and Unaru's attention.

Toboe read the look and blushed a little deeper and muttered, "Oh, shut up."

Liona laughed as he turned away and she went back to bustling around the kitchen to make dinner.

"Oh, I had a visit from one of those Wolf Hunter guys," Liona called, casually, causing everyone to stiffen. "He and his men were going around and telling residents that they were leaving now. Apparently, they stopped getting orders from they're platoon leader so they figured they'd just head out."

The pack relaxed again, exchanging glances but staying silent.

"Well, Cheza," Hige grinned, drawing hers, and everyone else's attention, "we kept our promise. We all came back and even brought back a couple more with us."

"This one is very glad to see all of you," Cheza smiled. "This one is also glad to meet new friends."

"I've never met a Flower Maiden before," Nikita smiled, stroking Ame in his arms.

"Me either," Unaru chimed in. "You're everything I thought you'd be. I've heard of Flower Maidens, but I never thought I'd get to meet one in person."

"Cheza's been through a lot with us," Kiba said, next to the bowl at her feet. "She knows us from our past lives as well."

"Not me," Ryooshi corrected. "I just met you guys almost a week ago."

"Whoa, so you all had past lives, and you remember them?" Unaru wondered, looking at Toboe as she said it, but making it sound like it was directed to all listening.

"Well, some of us," Toboe corrected. "I remembered, and so did Kiba, but the others didn't."

"Yeah, we only had nagging feelings that bugged the hell out of us," Tsume retorted.

"After we met up with Cheza again we all remembered," Hige chimed in, pulling Blue closer to him as she leaned against him.

"So, do you think _we_ had past lives too?" Nikita wondered pointedly at Ryooshi, Unaru and himself.

"Everyone does," Cheza replied. "But it's not your time to remember them. Perhaps, you are not _supposed_ to remember."

"What do you mean?" Unaru asked.

"I think she means, we're better off where we are now," Ryooshi theorized, drawing everyone's attention to her. "If we don't ever remember, it's probably because we're not supposed to. We're better off where we are in the lives we're living now. That's what _I_ think, anyway."

"This, coming from the one who thought she'd never be accepted for what she'd done in her past?" Tsume murmured in her ear, not wanting to embarrass her by just blurting it out for everyone to hear.

"Yes," she nodded, quietly as the others began talking amongst themselves. "But I don't care about that anymore. It's like what Runs with Horses said: My time for hiding is over. It's time for me to shine brightly again. I'm through with feeling guilty and sorry for what I did. It's done and over with now. There won't be any Wolf Hunters coming back for me, or hunting any more. I'm sure, with that headquarters gone, the others will lose control and crumble. We've done a good thing, you know?"

"Sure," Tsume muttered with a smirk, closing in on her. "Whatever you say."

"You weren't listening to a damn thing I was saying, were you?" she smiled, slightly.

"Nope," he confirmed, still closing in on her until his lips pressed against hers.

"Hey!" Hige called to them, but he was ignored as he continued, "There's a pup here! Keep all that out of sight where it belongs! The runt's not educated yet!"

"Is that so?" Unaru smirked slyly and lifted a brow at Toboe who glanced at her then blushed as he looked away from her. "Aren't you adorable?" she smiled and when he looked back at her she pounced and planted her lips to his as they fell back onto the floor.

"Hey, hey!" Liona called, spotting the two couples. "Don't go having desert before dinner!"

"Well said!" Hige grinned, holding a thumbs-up to the blonde as Blue gave a giggle as Kiba and Nikita only shook their heads, smiling in amusement.

"So tell me, what happened back there?" Liona called, still making dinner. "Where did you guys go, and how come the Wolf Hunters pulled out so quickly? You guys do something?"

"You could say that," Ryooshi smiled, and they all helped in telling their story to her.

For the pack of five, now grown to eight, the past week was nothing compared to what they'd been through before. Their pasts didn't matter so much anymore, only the present, and as the pack told Liona and Cheza the excitement that had gone on, the three new-comers felt at ease, and accepted. Three Hell-Hounds sat with six, Wild Wolves and no one felt in danger from either one. No, their pasts, in this life or the previous one, didn't matter, because each of them were starting life anew.

* * *

**A/N:** figured i'd start this from Liona and Cheza's POV. i could just see Cheza sitting there and Toboe crepping in frist all silent like. hee hee. anyway, thank you so much for sticking with this story to the end. and thank you for all the reviews, i appreciate it. and now, for the final time i'll ask...reviews?


	27. Epilogue

**A/N:** ok, i couldn't hold out anymore. i decided to write an epilogue and here it is! enjoy!

* * *

_**Epilogue**_

"Toboe! Don't go too far!" Liona called, Toboe and Unaru frolicking in their wolf forms around each other in the deserted land just beyond the gate of the city as she shook her head and sighed, "Those pups."

"They wanted us to meet them _here_?" Nikita wondered, standing with Liona in his human form as they stopped next to the gate and he leaned back on it.

"Yup," Liona nodded through a sigh. "I don't know _why_. It's so _hot_!"

"Well, it's June, Liona," he chuckled, watching Unaru pin Toboe down on the ground and lick his face.

"Whatever," she shrugged, digging a hand into her pocket and pulling out a piece of jerky and breaking it in half.

As she handed a piece to Nikita, Toboe and Unaru froze and started sniffing at the air, catching Liona's attention. Her eyes widened when she noticed the two stalking toward her, licking their lips, still in their wolf forms.

"Oh, geez," she muttered, slumping her shoulders and tried backing up, but it did her no good as she backed up against the gate and the two wolves pounced. She struggled to keep her piece of jerky as the wolves took bites of it. They finally climbed off of her and she sat up, her bleach blonde hair a mess as she held a hand up with a bite size piece of jerky in her finger tips. "Aw! You guys are evil!"

"We were hungry," Toboe excused, tilting his head to the side as he sat and Unaru laid on her stomach and set her chin on her crossed paws in front of him.

"You're lucky I brought _more_ jerky for myself," she snapped, whipping out another piece of jerky from her pocket and tossing the bite in her other hand into the air. She ducked when she noticed a shadow leap over her and Hige caught the piece of jerky in mid air as he turned to face the others, landing in his wolf form.

"Thanks, Liona," he called, chewing on the jerky as Blue landed next to him from jumping over the gate as well.

"You're welcome," she replied sarcastically, chomping down on her jerky then tearing off a piece and tossing it to Blue.

The black wolf caught the piece of jerky and chewed on it as she said, "Thanks."

"Now we're just waiting on Kiba and Cheza," Unaru smiled as she and Toboe sat up in their human forms, side by side.

"Speak of the devil," Blue smirked, she and Hige now in their human forms as well. Just as she'd said it, Kiba landed in front of them in his human form with Cheza in his arms.

"Sorry we're late," he apologized as he set Cheza down to let her dust herself off.

"You're not late," Nikita replied, stepping toward Hige and they shared a strange handshake, making Blue shake her head in embarrassment as Unura and Liona giggled at the sight. "We all pretty much just got here."

"Sweet," Hige grinned, slinging his arm around Blue's shoulders. "We'd better get going then."

"You sure you guys remember the way?" Unaru wondered, one of her hands in Toboe's.

"It was only a month ago," Kiba reminded her. "I think between the four of us, we'll remember."

"I can't believe it's been that long," Blue mused as she and the others started walking toward the mountains ahead of them.

"I can't imagine how much Ryooshi and Tsume have changed," Nikita smiled, helping Liona up as she still chewed on her jerky and they followed the six ahead of them.

"This one supposes they have not changed at all," Cheza smiled, holding onto Kiba's arm.

"Well, we'll find out when we get there," Unaru grinned, leaning her head on Toboe's shoulder for a moment before lifting it again to kiss his cheek, making him blush.

"She taught you about the birds and bees yet, runt?" Hige smirked and Toboe's blush deepened.

"Shut up," he muttered, lowering his head as Unaru and Blue sent glares at the older wolf before Unaru nuzzled the top of her head against the crook of Toboe's neck, still holding his hand.

"Leave them alone," Blue scolded Hige and he only shrugged.

"Think Runs With Horses will make you do that ridiculous dance Ryooshi had to do when we stayed there last?" he smirked over his shoulder at Kiba.

"I doubt it," he replied. "We're not taking shelter there this time."

"I can't wait to see how Tsume and Ryooshi are doing," Toboe grinned excitedly. "I can't imagine Tsume living as a human Indian."

"I can't imagine Tsume doing _anything_ with humans," Liona chimed in, recalling their first meeting.

"Technically he's not living as a human," Blue reminded them. "The tribe knows he and Ryooshi are wolves."

"Well, I'm sure they'll be happy to know they were missed," Unaru smiled then turned a bright smile to Toboe and shouted, "Race you!"

The two bolted off in their wolf forms as Liona called after them.

"Not too far!"

* * *

_Sunset the Next Day..._

Ryooshi paced in front of the fire in her human form, her hands behind her back, the feather in her hair bouncing with each step along with her slightly longer ponytails on her shoulders. Tsume sat on the other side of the fire, flicking twigs into the blaze in boredom, a single eagle feather tied into his tiny ponytail and when he looked up at Ryooshi still pacing he smirked as he stood and walked around the fire.

She stopped and faced the canyon Runs With Horses' tribe was sitting just outside of and crossed her arms over her chest as she started tapping her foot in impatience. Tsume glanced around as he stepped behind her, making sure no one was around to watch them and placed his hands at her waist to pull her close to him, making her jump and look up at him with wide eyes before she smiled and turned back to face the canyon.

"Where _are_ they?" she nearly whined, leaning back against him as his hands wrapped completely around her waist and she set her hands over his. "They should have been here by now."

"Maybe they got lost?" Tsume shrugged, nonchalantly. "If Porky and the runt are leading the pack, they probably _are_."

"Haven't lost that exterior have you?" Ryooshi sighed, turning in his arms and slipping her arms around his neck, jade eyes locking to the other's. "Big ol' softy inside, but you still _have_ to play the tough guy, don't you?" Tsume lifted an eyebrow at her and she gave a giggle as she murmured, "Maybe we can think of something to do while we wait?"

Tsume gave a very wolfish grin as he leaned closer to her face and murmured, "I can think of a few things…"

"Mmm, me too," Ryooshi grinned, her eyes widening in delight before she closed them and lips collided followed by a light moan from Ryooshi as she felt Tsume pull her closer still.

"Whoa! Get a room!"

The two pulled away from each other as if burned at the sound of Hige's joking tone and turned to see the whole group they'd been waiting for watching them with a few smirks. Ryooshi cleared her throat, wiping the corners of her mouth before grinning and running toward the group, throwing her arms around each of them in tight, grateful hugs before gripping the first hands she could reach and dragging them toward the fire as the others followed.

"I'm glad you guys made it!" she grinned, stopping next to Tsume as he didn't move from his spot. "We were worried you got lost."

"We _almost_ did," Liona replied, glaring at Hige who shrugged defensively.

"Hey, I didn't tell you to follow me, did I?" he retorted.

"You didn't have to go following your _nose_, either," Unaru snapped but Hige just shrugged.

"Anyway…" Nikita cut in trailing of with a smile to Ryooshi as he asked, "Nice of you to ask us here."

"Runs With Horses wanted to speak to all of you," Ryooshi corrected, slipping a hand into Tsume's and grinned, "Aside from that, you guys were due for a visit anyway."

"Tsume's gone native!" Toboe grinned, pointing at the feather in his hair and the older wolf glared at him.

"It's an _honor_ to wear this feather," Tsume snapped then held his head high with pride as he rolled his shoulders, continuing, "This is the mark of a great warrior and hunter in the tribe."

"One month and he's gone native," Hige chuckled, slapping the gray wolf on the shoulder. "Never thought I'd see the day when you _co-exist_ with humans."

"Porky, you better watch it, or I'll-!"

"Anybody hungry?" Ryooshi cut in with a grin, glancing between all of her friends.

"Starved!" Blue grinned as well, wanting to keep the two wolves from fighting as well.

She grabbed Hige's arm and pulled him toward the fire as Ryooshi tried to sooth Tsume's ruffled feathers before patting his back and letting him head toward the fire as well and urged the rest toward the fire but placed a hand on Kiba's shoulder.

"Runs With Horses wanted to speak to you alone before he spoke to the others," she murmured.

"Why?" he wondered with a slight frown.

"Because you're the leader of the pack," Ryooshi smiled, pulling on his arm to direct him to a tent. "Don't worry, he won't bite. It'll only take a moment. You're welcome to stay the night too!"

"I'll be sure to thank him," Kiba assured her as they stopped outside Runs With Horses tent and he stopped her from ducking in ahead of him by gently gripping her arm, making her frown at him in wonder. "We've all missed you two, a lot."

Ryooshi smiled warmly and pulled him close for a tight hug, murmuring, "We missed all of you, too." She lifted her head and said, "Don't tell Tsume I told you that. Tell him _I_ missed you."

Kiba chuckled with a nod and she giggled, both knowing Tsume too well. Ryooshi ducked into the tent, followed by Kiba as the rest of the pack began having dinner around the fire with the rest of the tribe.

* * *

_Midnight..._

Ryooshi and Tsume led the pack to a group of tents fit for two each they were to spend the night in after dinner and celebration.

"Toboe! Come on!" Unaru grinned, pulling on his hand toward one of the tents. "We'll share this one!"

"Hey, Young Pup!" Liona called but sighed as Nikita chuckled and tapped her shoulder to nod toward another tent, catching her gaze.

"I'll keep you company," he assured her and she smirked, looking toward the tent where Unaru and Toboe had disappeared.

Since she's taken Unaru in, Toboe had spent most of his time with her and not with Liona like he used to. Nikita, however was also living with them and always around and happy to keep her company. Still, he was no Toboe.

"Thanks Nik," she smiled, weakly and he guessed she was still feeling bad about Toboe, but said nothing as he led her to a tent and ducked inside.

"Poor Liona," Blue sighed, holding onto Hige's arm. "She misses Toboe and the pup doesn't even see it."

"Well, she _could_ say something," Hige reminded her as they headed to a tent of their own. "The last thing the runt would want to do is make her unhappy."

"Let's hope Nikita can fill the void," Blue sighed as they disappeared into the tent.

"Hey, Kiba!" Ryooshi called before he and Cheza headed into their tent and Tsume stood next to her as the two looked up and stepped back toward the other two. "Did Runs With Horses talk to you?"

"Yeah, he did," Kiba nodded, hesitantly as Cheza gave him a subtle frown. "He told me to think about it, but I think what I need to do is talk to the others about it and see what they think."

"I _knew_ you'd say that," Ryooshi grinned, wrapping her hands around one of Tsume's arms. "Chief told me to tell you to take all the time you need. Stay as long as you like. Our friends are his."

"Thank you, Ryooshi," he nodded and smiled very slightly as he glanced between the two before saying, "You two really have blended into this lifestyle, haven't you?"

Ryooshi grinned and nodded vigorously as Tsume gave a sneer, looking away.

"Kiba?" Cheza called, gently, drawing his attention to her and he pulled her under his arm before nodding good night to the couple and turning her toward the tent, explaining to her what they had been talking about.

Tsume and Ryooshi stood in the circle of tents and glanced around at each of them before looking at each other and Ryooshi grinned, asking, "Think they'll say 'yes'?"

"Hard to tell," Tsume shrugged slightly, lifting an arm to sling around her shoulders as they both turned to head toward their own tent. "I wouldn't try to guess though. You of all people should know how unpredictable us wolves can be."

"Yeah," Ryooshi chuckled and looked around at the empty camp before stopping them both and turning to face him as he frowned in wonder.

"What's wrong?" he wondered.

"Nothing," she shrugged cutely, shaking her head as she stepped close enough to slip her arms up his chest and around his neck. "I just wanted to finish that kiss we started earlier."

"With pleasure," he grinned his wolfish grin before planning his lips to hers.

* * *

_The Next Morning..._

Kiba stood in the center of the circle that was the Drifting Pack as the tribe called them and said, "The Chief spoke with me last night, and he offered to let all of us live with his tribe."

"Seriously?" Hige chirped. "We'd _live_ with them?"

"If we want to," Kiba nodded. "We're free to choose where we go. We'd be treated as part of the tribe, like they treat Ryooshi and Tsume."

"Just you wolves, right?" Liona guessed, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"If you'd like to stay, you can," Ryooshi assured her. "Chief told me a little earlier to offer this to you as well."

Liona nodded mutely and gazed down at her lap, drawing Toboe's attention to her and he leaned over as he sat next to her to catch her gaze.

"Sissy?" he murmured, but she only shook her head.

"If you don't want to do this it's fine," Kiba continued.

"You mean, split up the pack?" Blue frowned.

"I don't want to do that, but I won't force anyone to do what they don't want to either," Kiba replied.

"Alright, I have a better way to come up with the answer to this," Unaru proposed, standing and stepping next to Kiba. "All for staying here, raise your hands."

Unaru shot her hand up with a grin and looked around as the other wolves looked around at each other as well. Hesitantly Blue lifted her hand into the air, followed by Hige, then Toboe and Liona shot a wide-eyed gaze at the young pup.

"Toboe?" she breathed, and he shot his amber eyes to meet her burnt honeys. "You're staying?"

"Well…" he trailed off a moment as everyone lowered their hands then continued, "I don't wanna be a burden to you, sissy. I won't be a pup for long, you know? I just don't wanna be in your way."

"Young Pup, you were _never_ in my way, and you never will be," Liona replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I _love_ having the three of you there! If I didn't like it I would have said something, you know that."

She glanced around at the pack and realized that she'd always felt out of place. Always felt like the black sheep. She wasn't part of the pack as she thought she could be. She could never be. She was a human, not a wolf, and part of her wished she _was_ a wolf to spare her the pain of what she was about to do. Tears pricked her eyes as she turned her gaze back to Toboe and squeezed his shoulder.

"I get it," she breathed, softly then sniffled. "You need to be with your kind. With your pack. You can't stay cooped up in an apartment all your life." She looked to Unaru who swallowed back the lump in her throat. "And neither can _you_, Unaru, or _you_, Nikita."

"Sure I can," he shrugged, shooting her gaze wide at him. "I'm a half-breed, remember? I can stay with you as long as you'll have me, Liona. I really don't belong here anyway."

"That's not true, Nik," Hige piped up, drawing his attention. "Blue was a half-breed in her past life, and she was _still_ part of our pack."

"Not me, man," Nikita shook his head with a small smile. "I'm stickin' with Liona." He looked back at her and suddenly in his canine form he laid down, his head in her lap, saying, "She needs someone to keep her company till you guys visit again."

Liona felt tears flow from her eyes as she stroked a hand over Nikita's soft fur on his head and Toboe threw his arms around her neck as Unaru shuffled toward the three to get into the hug as well.

"So it's settled, then?" Blue wondered, glancing around. "Pretty much everyone is staying with the tribe?"

Kiba turned to where Cheza sat and knelt down in front of her as her crimson eyes stared at him…_through_ him, sensing his presence.

"Cheza," he murmured. "Do you want to stay? We don't have to. I'll stay with you in the city."

Cheza's painted pink lips curved into a sweet smile as she shook her head slightly and brought a hand to her heart.

"This one knows you must be with your kind as well," she replied, softly. "This one will go wherever _you_ go, Kiba. This one will be happy as long as _you_ are happy."

Kiba smiled warmly and pulled her into his embrace to nuzzle the crook of her neck.

"Shall I give Runs With Horses the good news?" Ryooshi smiled, drawing everyone's attention and Kiba nodded as they all stood to follow Tsume and Ryooshi.

Nikita and Liona headed back to the city, Liona almost sobbing the whole way as Nikita stayed close in his human form, holding her the whole way. When they reached the gate the next day, Liona stopped to turn back and watch the empty expanse of desert between the pack and herself that she knew would grow once the tribe moved again. But, she knew they would all be back to visit, and that made her smile.

* * *

**A/N:** wow, i dint think i'd make it so sad! well, at least no one died, right? lol! the true end! and now, for the last time, reviews?


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